We Are Family
by Bodge
Summary: It's been almost three years since Shelby gave birth to her daughter when, out of the blue, she receives a phonecall that changes everything!
1. Chapter 1

This is another oneshot I've written that I'm considering making into a longer fic because I've fallen in love with this AU (there's just something about tiny Rachel!) but obviously I don't want to spend time writing an ongoing fic if nobody is interested in reading it. So please let me know what you think, and if you'd like to read more.

I've have quite a few ideas for continuing this if enough people want to read it, however, the ideas I have will probably see Shelby ending up in a polyamorous relationship with Hiram and Leroy. If I did continue this fic, would that be something you'd like or something you'd rather not see?"

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Hello?" Shelby was eating breakfast in her small apartment when her phone rang with a call from a number she didn't recognise. She briefly considered just ignoring the call, letting it go to voicemail but then she remembered the audition she'd been to the week before and decided to answer the call, just in case.

"Shelby?" the voice on the phone sounded hesitant, as if they weren't sure who they were speaking to, but it was a voice she recognised instantly.

"Hiram? What… Is everything okay? Is… Is she okay?"

"Rachel" Hiram said softly, "her name's Rachel, and she's fine, she's more than fine, she's perfect."

"Rachel" Shelby whispered as she smiled slightly, it had taken almost three years but she finally knew her daughters name.

"Yeah."

Shelby shook her head, "I don't, not that I'm not pleased to hear from you, I just don't understand…"

"You want to know why I'm calling?"

"Yeah." Shelby nodded, swirling the remains of her coffee around her mug before downing the lukewarm liquid.

She heard Hiram sigh, "we've been looking for you for a while" he said honestly, "we realised almost as soon as she was born that the contract was a big mistake and we wanted to know if you'd like to meet her."

"I…" Shelby wanted to cry, "you, you're serious?"

"We're serious, we came to see you in the hospital before we took Rachel home to talk about giving you access but they told us you'd discharged yourself." Hiram remembered how devastated he and Leroy had been when they'd arrived home from the hospital the night Rachel had been born to find all Shelby's belongings had gone, the only sign she'd ever been in the house were the key she'd left on the sideboard and a soft grey stuffed rabbit that she'd left in the crib in the nursery, hoping that Hiram and Leroy would give it to their baby.

"Yeah, I didn't… I didn't want to stick around" she said honestly, Shelby's mind too flashing back to the day she'd given birth, to the private room on the maternity ward, isolated from everyone but surrounded by happy parents and the cries of newborns reminding her of what she'd given away. The doctors had advised that she stayed in for 24 hours to be sure everything was okay but she didn't want to stay that long and signed herself out of the hospital just six hours after giving birth, getting a cab to the house that had been her home for the past year, packing up her things and then getting another cab to a motel where she'd stayed for a week to let herself recover before boarding the train to New York and trying to move on with her life.

"That's understandable, but if you want to see her then we can sort something out. Where are you living now?"

"I'm in New York" Shelby told him with a smile, it had been a hard few years but she was doing what she wanted to do and she was proud of herself and the things she'd achieve, and she hoped Rachel would be proud of her too. "I'm in my final year at college, I've started auditioning for a couple of shows, hopefully I'll pick something up for after graduation."

"Any director would be lucky to have you on their stage" Hiram could hear the pride in Shelby's voice, the man genuinely happy for her, "but it sounds like it would be easier for Leroy and I to come to you than for you to come to us, so why don't you message me some dates that are good for you and we'll work something out, assuming you want us to bring Rachel to visit you that is."

"I would love to meet her" Shelby felt herself tearing up at the thought of finally getting to meet the child she'd carried, "but you don't have to come up here, I can skip a few classes and…"

"I don't think so" Hiram chuckled, "you keep studying, keep pushing yourself Shelby, you were born to be on Broadway, you're not going to throw it away now. Leroy and I will come and visit, and if everything goes okay, maybe you could even have Rachel one night so he and I can catch a show together."

"I'd love that" Shelby nodded, "I'll message you some dates then?"

"Sounds good to me, I've got to go, Rachel will be waking up from her nap soon, but I'll speak to Leroy once we have your dates and find something that works for us too and let you know when we're going to come up."

"Okay, thank you Hiram."

"My pleasure" he smiled down the phone, "look after yourself Shelby."

Shelby said goodbye to Hiram and hung up the call, looking down at her phone, unable to believe the conversation she'd just had, she felt like she was dreaming, but she wanted to believe it, wanted more than anything to meet her baby girl. So she grabbed her diary, finding she was free most weekends for the next couple of months, but not wanting to seem too eager, she sent Hiram a message with a few dates, telling him it was nice to speak to him. His reply came quickly, '_That's great, I'll speak to Leroy tonight and let you know. It was great to speak to you too and we'll see you soon, I promise_.'

Hiram was almost bouncing with excitement when Leroy got home that evening, but he managed to keep himself together until Rachel was tucked up in her bed that night.

"So" Hiram grinned at his husband, "guess what I did today?"

"I don't know" Leroy chuckled, "why don't you enlighten me?"

"I made a phone call" he beamed

"A phone call?" Leroy frowned, not sure why that would excite his husband so much.

"A phone call" Hiram nodded, "to a certain someone who is apparently in New York, in their final year at college, doing well and auditioning for shows, hoping to get something lined up after graduation."

Leroy's eyes widened, "you've found Shelby?"

"I have."

"That's amazing" Leroy kissed Hiram, "did you…"

"I said it sounded like it would be easier for us to go out to her, so she's sent me a few weekends where she's free, I said I'd speak to you to find a date that worked for both of us too and let her know."

"I can't believe you found her" Leroy shook his head, "I was beginning to think that she'd fallen off the face of the Earth or something. When is she free? Is she okay? Does she want us to go see her?"

Hiram showed Leroy the list of dates Shelby had given him, "she sounded great, really happy and proud of herself and what she's doing, and she said she'd love to meet Rachel."

"Okay" Leroy grinned, pecking Hiram's lips before opening his own diary, "let's see how soon we can get that Mommy and her baby together."

It was just over a month before Hiram and Leroy were able to make it out to New York, and, as Shelby had no classes on a Friday afternoon she arranged to meet Hiram, Leroy, and most importantly, Rachel at a coffee shop not too far from the hotel Hiram told her they'd be staying at.

She'd been in contact with the men a few times since Hiram's initial phone call, they'd sent her pictures of Rachel and brought her up to date on the girl's likes and dislikes, telling them about her energetic personality and how much she reminded both men of the woman who'd carried her.

Even so, Shelby was still incredibly nervous, arriving at the coffee shop almost half an hour before she was meant to be meeting the men, ordering herself a coffee and choosing a quiet table at the back of the cafe, trying to fight back the urge to pace nervously and bite her nails.

Ten minutes before they'd arranged to meet, Hiram messaged Shelby to let her know that they were just leaving the hotel and might be a few minutes late, but they weren't, almost right on time, the two men entered the coffee shop, toddler walking between them holding both their hands.

She stood from her seat, waving awkwardly, Hiram pointing her out as they crossed the cafe to greet her.

"Shelby, hi" Leroy raised an eyebrow at the hand held towards him, choosing instead to pull her into a tight hug, Hiram doing the same.

"Are we going to stand here or shall we sit down?" Hiram asked, Shelby chuckling slightly as she slipped back into the bench seat she'd been sitting on, Hiram and Leroy sitting in the chairs opposite her. Hiram reached to lift Rachel onto his lap once he'd sat down, planning to introduce her to Shelby, but he was too late.

"Hi" Rachel scrambled up to sit on the bench beside Shelby, intrigued by the woman that her Daddys had just hugged, "Me Way" she held our her hand.

Shelby smiled, "I'm Shelby" she introduced herself and shook the hand she'd been offered.

Rachel sat back on her heels, studying the woman beside her for a moment before asking, "you my fwend?"

"Actually Rachel" Hiram said softly, "Shelby's your Mommy."

Rachel frowned as she looked up at Shelby, "Mo-ma" she rolled the syllables around her mouth, the sound of them almost foreign to her. She didn't really understand, a lot of her friends from daycare had Mommys that collected them at the end of the day but she had her Dada and she had her Papa, but now they were telling her that this lady was her Momma.

"That's right" Shelby nodded, "but you can call me Shelby if you want."

"No" Rachel said firmly, Hiram and Leroy smirking slightly as Rachel's stubborn streak made an appearance, "No Lelby. Momma."

"Okay" Shelby held her hands up in mock surrender, "you can call me Momma."

Rachel nodded before looking up at Shelby and holding out her arms, "hug now?" This woman had hugged both her fathers, and there was nothing Rachel loved more than snuggles, she was sure she'd seen her friends hugging their Moms at daycare before and now she had a Momma, she wanted in.

Shelby held her arms out, heart swelling with love as Rachel scrambled to her feet, standing on the bench as she wrapped her arms around Shelby's neck and squeezed as tightly as she could, Shelby's arms easily wrapping around the toddler's waist, mother and daughter oblivious to the fact that Leroy was snapping pictures of them and Hiram was wiping away tears.

"Are you going to sit down now Sunshine?" Leroy asked, "give Shelby a break from your hugs?"

"No Lelby!" Rachel scowled at her father, "Momma" she corrected him, but followed his instructions anyway, releasing her grip on Shelby but surprising everyone when she chose to plop down in her lap instead of sitting beside her, she wasn't entirely sure what a Momma was, but she was sure that she liked this woman and wanted to keep her attention for a while.

"Well" Hiram chuckled, "I don't think any of us need to ask how we think this meeting went.

"No" Shelby chuckled as Rachel settled down on her lap, "we don't."

"Rachel could charm anyone if she puts her mind to it." Leroy too was happy that Rachel had taken the news well.

Shelby nodded and gently stroked her daughter's back, "she certainly is something."

"Do you want a drink?" Hiram asked Shelby as he stood. Intending to get coffee for them all.

"I'd love a cappuccino please" Shelby reached for her purse, but Hiram shook his head and told her he'd get it.

"Do you want a hot chocolate Rach?" he asked the girl who was happily playing with the rings on Shelby's fingers.

"No" she didn't look up as she shook her head, "want mappymeemo" she didn't know what that was, but if her Momma was having one then she wanted one too.

"Rachel" Hiram wasn't sure how he was going to convince Rachel that she couldn't have a coffee without a tantrum but luckily he didn't need to.

"They do a 'babycino' here" Shelby told him, "it's just steamed milk with a bit of cocoa powder sprinkled on top, I don't know if…" she trailed off, not sure if she should have interfered.

Hiram smiled and nodded, "that sounds great, do you want anything to eat?"

Shelby shook her head, "I'm good thanks."

Rachel didn't wait to be asked, still not looking up from Shelby's hands, "I good too".

"You're cheeky, I'll give you that" Hiram laughed as he went to order their drinks.

"Hiram said you're auditioning for shows" Leroy tried to make conversation, smiling as he saw Shelby dancing her fingers across the table, Rachel giggling as she tried to grab at her Mom's hand.

Shelby nodded. "There's one in particular that I've got my eye on, I can't really say too much because I don't think it's been announced formally yet, but it's a new show and I think they're probably going to want a big name for the lead, an ensemble part would be good though, you've got to start somewhere."

"You have" Leroy nodded, "you'll have to let us know when you find something, Hiram and I will come and see you."

"If I get something then I'll let you know" Shelby nodded.

"You'll get something" Leroy reassured her, "with a voice like yours you'll be snapped up before you know it."

"So…" Hiram put the tray down on the table a couple of minutes later, "the man at the counter asked if I was with you, and when I said yes, he told me the drinks were on the house." Shelby glanced up and smiled, raising her hand in a wave to the man, "anything you want to tell us?" he raised an eyebrow.

"That's Mark" Shelby laughed, "he's the owner. I work here when I'm not at college, and I usually pick up all the shifts no one else wants to do. He owes me a couple of favours anyway, a couple of free drinks is the least he can do."

"Oh" Hiram pouted slightly as he sat down, "that's not the interesting gossip I was hoping for" he joked.

"Sorry to disappoint" Shelby chuckled, "but Mark's more likely to be interested in you than me, and I'm quite happily single."

The three adults easily fell into conversation as they drank their coffee, Rachel occasionally interrupting with a comment or something she wanted her Momma to know. Shelby was surprised how comfortable she felt, Hiram and Leroy somehow making her feel just like they had when she'd lived with them during her pregnancy, and it felt almost like it had been just three hours since they'd last seen each other, not the better part of three years.

"Rachel" Hiram said softly, "do you need to go potty before we leave?" he asked as he helped Rachel into her jacket, they'd finished their coffees, Rachel over the moon that, in her eyes, she'd had the same drink as her Momma, and as they'd been talking they'd decided that to spend a while in the park before getting dinner together so Rachel could burn off some of the energy that was starting to make her a little fussy and restless.

Rachel's eyes narrowed as she looked between her fathers and Shelby before shaking her head and unconvincingly answering "nooooo". She did need the potty but she didn't want her Momma to go away while she was gone and she wasn't sure if Momma would help her use the bathroom instead of Dada or Papa.

"Are you sure?" Hiram raised an eyebrow as he saw Rachel begin to shuffle slightly, something he and Leroy referred to as her potty dance.

"I no potty" Rachel insisted.

Shelby bit her lip, not sure if she should get involved but at the same time, she knew that, for whatever reason, Rachel was lying about needing the toilet, "I think I'm going to go before we leave" she announced, asking Rachel, "will you wait here for me while I go to the potty?"

"No" Rachel grabbed at Shelby's hand, "me potty, go now!"

"Is that okay?" Shelby asked Hiram and Leroy as Rachel tugged on her hand.

Leroy nodded, "she's all yours Momma, we'll wait here for you."

Shelby took Rachel to the ladies bathroom, feeling a little out of her depth, she should probably have asked Rachel's fathers how much help the girl needed. Rachel however wasn't bothered at all by her Momma accompanying her, and she clumsily managed to pull down her leggings and her underwear before holding out her arms. Shelby lifted Rachel up to sit her on the toilet, the fact that Rachel didn't let go telling Shelby she wanted her to keep hold of her, "you going now?" Rachel asked, swinging her legs slightly as she peed.

Shelby shook her head, "we're going to go for a walk in the park with Daddy and Papa and then we're going to get some dinner."

"And you dinner?" Shelby handed Rachel some toilet paper when she reached for it.

"I'm coming for dinner too" Shelby nodded, straightening Rachel's clothes once the toddler had redressed herself.

Rachel nodded, happy with that answer as she pointed to the toilet, telling Shelby, "you turn."

Shelby helped Rachel wash her hands once she'd finished and they walked back to Hiram and Leroy hand in hand. "Everything okay?" Hiram asked with a smile.

"Yep" Rachel beamed, still clinging to Shelby's hand, "I pee, and Momma too."

"Well done" Leroy and Hiram both high fived Rachel, the way they always praised her when she managed to use the bathroom without an accident.

Rachel frowned, "Momma pee too!"

Hiram bit his lip to stop himself laughing and held up his hand, "well done" he smirked as Shelby reluctantly returned the high five.

"Thanks" Shelby rolled her eyes as Leroy high fived her too."

"You gu'girl" Rachel told Shelby as she too held up her hand.

"Thanks" Shelby smiled genuinely as she high fived her daughter, "you're a good girl too."

"I know" Rachel nodded as she led Shelby to the door, "we go now" she decided, she was bored of talking, her Momma had told her they were going to the park and she wanted to play, wanted her Momma to push her on the swing and help her cross the monkey bars, so she started walking, trusting her Momma to lead the way and her Daddy and Papa to follow her. She might not be sure what it meant to have a Momma, but she liked it, liked the way her hand felt in her Momma's, Momma's skin softer than Dada and Papa's, she liked Momma's smile and she liked the big hug she'd given her too. No, Rachel might not know what it meant to have a Momma but she certainly hoped a Momma was someone who she'd get to see again.


	2. Chapter 2

I wasn't planning on writing any more of this until the new year, but I was so overwhelmed by the amount of people who commented and followed/favourited this story that I thought I'd see if I could write a little more, and somehow, almost 5000 words just seemed to write themselves! I've got this fic planned out for quite a while and I can't wait for you to read it, I hope you all enjoy reading it just as much as I'm enjoying writing it!

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"Where are you living?" Leroy asked as they chatted after dinner. Shelby had taken them to a small, family run Italian restaurant and was greeted warmly by the owners, everyone making a fuss of Rachel and making sure the unconventional family had everything they needed." I mean, do you have roommates or…?"

Shelby shook her head, "I've got an apartment, it's only small but it's fine for me".

Leroy smiled, "have you got room for a little one?"

"You mean Rachel?" Shelby frowned as she looked down at the toddler, once again sat on her lap, only this time mother and daughter were chest to chest, Shelby gently patting Rachel's back as the girl slowly lost the fight to stay awake.

Leroy nodded, "the two of you seem to have hit it off, so if you want to, Hiram and I thought you could take her tomorrow night, if you'd rather not, or if you want to watch her in our hotel room for the evening and not have her overnight just yet then that's okay too."

"No, no, I…" Shelby smiled, "I'd love to have her. Like I said, the apartment's only small so she'd have to sleep in my bed though…"

"That's fine" Hiram reached out and squeezed Shelby's arm, "you're her Mom Shelby, she gets in bed with us all the time, I will warn you though, she's a big snuggle bug."

Shelby smiled and looked down at her daughter again as she felt her finally give in, her body relaxing against her Momma as she fell asleep, "I'm sure I'll cope."

"I'm sure you will too" Hiram smiled.

"And before we leave, we'll arrange a time to come back" Leroy told her, "we're serious about this, we don't want it to be a one time thing, we want you and Rachel to get to know each other."

Shelby felt tears forming in her eyes. "Thank you" she thought for a moment before telling the two men, "I have a week off classes next month, I erm, I could come visit you?"

"We'd love that" both men nodded, "we'll pay for your flight and of course you can stay with us."

"Oh, I can just get the bus, and I can find a B&B or something, you don't have to go to any trouble or…"

"Shelby" Leroy raised an eyebrow as he cut her off, "I'm a doctor, Hiram is a lawyer, we can afford to pay for your flight. And you wouldn't be putting us out if you stayed with us, but if you'd be more comfortable in a hotel then we'll pay for that too."

"Thank you."

"You gave us a baby Shelby" Hiram told her, "you never need to thank us for anything."

They spoke for a while longer before Hiram and Leroy reluctantly announced that they should be getting back to their hotel to get Rachel to bed, even though the girl seemed comfortable enough sleeping on her Momma's lap. "Can we get you a cab back to your apartment?" Leroy asked once they'd made plans to meet for breakfast.

Shelby shook her head, "I'll be fine on the subway" she reassured him.

"Okay, we'll see you in the morning then" Leroy smiled.

Shelby stood with Rachel still in her arms, "goodnight sweet girl" she whispered, kissing her forehead before handing her over to Leroy, "see you in the morning."

"Goodnight Shelby" Hiram embraced her in a tight hug, "and thank you for today, I don't think I've ever seen Rachel so happy."

Shelby smiled, "she's adorable. Thank you for letting me meet her."

"We meant what we said" Hiram told her as he squeezed her hand, "we don't want this to be a one time thing. We want her to grow up knowing you, we want her to have her Mom."

"Thank you" Shelby smiled, kissing Rachel's head again as she slept in Leroy's arms, and kissing both Hiram and Leroy on the cheek, "I'll see you in the morning."

"Of course" Leroy nodded, "would it be too much for me to ask that you let one of us know you're home safely?"

"Way too much" Shelby nodded, winking playfully as she told him, 'but I'll do it anyway, I'll be about 40 minutes or so, maybe a little longer so don't be worried if it takes me a while."

"Noted" Leroy smiled, saying a final goodbye to Shelby before she left the restaurant heading for the subway.

"Well" Hiram smiled as he and Leroy left the restaurant too, "that went better than I expected."

Leroy nodded, "we always knew Shelby loved Rachel, even before she was born. It seems like Rachel feels that same love for her Momma."

Hiram nodded, "and it was good to see Shelby again, it felt so strange when she left, she was there, I got so used to hearing her singing upstairs, or finding her raiding the fridge in the middle of the night, and then suddenly she just wasn't there any more, I know we had Rachel, but the house still felt a little… "

"Empty" Leroy finished for his husband, he'd felt exactly the same way, Shelby's departure had been so sudden, they'd never really spoken about what would happen after Rachel's birth, other than Shelby agreeing not to make contact with her child for the next 18 years, but they hadn't expected Shelby and all her belongings to vanish from their home within hours of their daughter being placed in their arms.

It had been Hiram who'd noticed the key she'd left behind, and as he'd muttered just two words, he and Leroy knew they'd made the biggest mistake of their lives by asking Shelby to stay away as they raised her daughter, 'she's gone.'

Hiram nodded, "empty" he agreed, "but seeing her today, I'm almost glad we pushed her away. We can make something work, if we'd offered her access when Rachel was born, she might have stayed in Lima instead of coming out here."

"I suppose" Leroy agreed as they arrived back at their hotel, taking the elevator up to their room, "and she does seem happy, she's doing well for herself."

"She is" Hiram slipped off Rachel's jacket so Leroy could lay her down, "and I'm glad. I'm glad that after everything, she's doing what she wanted to do and that she is happy."

Leroy kissed Hiram gently once he'd laid Rachel down, "me too Hir, me too."

Shelby used her journey home to try and make some sense of her feelings. She'd met her baby today. Her baby who was now a toddler, a seemingly stubborn and independent toddler. She was the most beautiful thing Shelby had ever seen, and she would be forever grateful that Hiram and Leroy had allowed her to meet that perfect little girl before she turned 18. Her arms felt strangely empty, having been filled with the weight of the two year old for most of the day, but at the same time her heart felt so full, full of love for both, her daughter, and the two men who were raising her, the two men who had spent a large part of the day hanging back to allow Shelby and Rachel to bond without Shelby worrying they were 'hovering'. She was surprised by how quickly she'd found herself slipping into her role as Rachel's Momma, but at the same time, she was worried about stepping on Hiram or Leroy's toes, but she was sure that, if the men did allow her to see Rachel again, they'd find a balance eventually.

She sent Leroy a quick text when she arrived back at her apartment, letting him know she was back safely and thanking him again for letting her spend the day with Rachel, before she glanced around the space, if her Daughter was going to be spending the night then she probably tidy up a little first.

Her apartment wasn't that messy, she just had a few clothes to throw into the hamper, a couple of dishes to wash and some college papers and textbooks to put away before running the vacuum around the small space, deciding she'd put clean sheets on her bed in the morning too. She knew Rachel wouldn't mind her apartment being a little untidy, but she wasn't sure if Hiram and Leroy would want to come back and see where their daughter would be spending the night so she wanted it to look presentable.

Shelby was surprised when she woke, feeling more rested than she had in a long while, and she spent a while lounging in her apartment, drinking her first coffee of the day before dressing simply, dark wash jeans, a white vneck tshirt and her old, faded, black leather jacket before pulling on a pair of sneakers and heading out for the day.

She'd arranged to meet Hiram, Leroy and Rachel at a diner the next morning so they could all get breakfast together and decide what they were doing with their day. A quick glance at her watch as she entered the diner told her she was almost fifteen minutes early, so she ordered another coffee and found a table towards the back of the restaurant, firing off a quick message to Hiram, letting them know where she was sitting.

"Oh" Shelby wanted to cry when she saw Rachel, holding Leroy's hand as she walked into the restaurant a few minutes later, tiny backpack on her bag, a tatty and obviously well loved stuffed bunny clutched to her chest, a bunny Shelby recognised instantly as the one she'd left in the empty crib the day she'd left the Berry House.

"Benny the Bunny" Hiram put his hand on Shelby's back, "she hasn't slept a night without him since we found him in her crib."

"I didn't know if you'd give it her" Shelby said honestly.

"Of course we did" Leroy reached out to squeeze Shelby's hand before looking at Rachel, "do you remember who got Benny for you?" he asked the toddler.

Rachel frowned as she thought before her face lit up, "Momma!" she looked up at Shelby, "you do?"

"I did" Shelby's eyes filled with tears as Rachel tightly hugged her legs.

"I lub him" she grinned, "t'ank you."

Shelby smiled and ruffled Rachel's hair, "you're welcome Darling, I'm glad you like him."

"We don't usually take him out" Hiram told her, as they moved to sit down, Rachel of course taking the seat beside Shelby, "we don't want to find out how she'd cope if we left him somewhere but she refused to let us put him in the bag" he rolled his eyes, "and when she saw us packing a bag she wanted to bring hers too, she's got a bottle of water, a snack and her favourite story book in there, all the important things, everything else is in here" he gestured to the bag he was carrying.

"We thought we'd hang out with the two of you until lunch and then we'd let you get off, she was okay yesterday because she slept on the plane but you might want to take her home and let her have a nap this afternoon so she's not cranky" Leroy suggested, "she's usually out for a good hour or two." told her once they'd ordered their drinks, Rachel happily scribbling on the picture on the back of the children's menu with a blue crayon.

"Okay" Shelby nodded, "there's a little park with a swingset and jungle gym not too far from my apartment, I thought I might take her there this afternoon."

"She'll love that" Leroy smiled, "and it'll help tire her out."

"Does she have a routine or anything, to help her settle down?"

"She gets changed and then cleans her teeth and washes her face, you can give her a bath if you want to but you don't have to, she'll spend hours in there if you'll let her though, but then we just read her a couple of stories and tuck her in. I've put a few of her books in the bag, just let her pick a couple. She has a nightlight too, but a sidelight or something would work too." Leroy explained.

"I think I can manage that" Shelby smiled.

"We've put a pull up in her bag too" Hiram added, "she's usually dry in the night, but with her being somewhere new we thought we'd put one in just to be safe, in case she forgets where the bathroom is and doesn't make it in time or anything."

"Okay" Shelby nodded, "I'm sure we'll manage."

"You'll be fine" Leroy reassured her, "you're her Momma, you've got this!"

"Thanks" Shelby chuckled quietly, "I hope so."

"You got it Momma" Rachel parroted without looking up from her masterpiece, not entirely sure what her Momma had, but wanting her to know she had it all the same.

The three adults all laughed, not realising Rachel was paying attention to them, "thanks Darling" Shelby smiled, gently stroking Rachel's back as she continued to colour, "I'm glad you think so."

Rachel couldn't decide what she wanted to eat, so Leroy made the sensible decision to order her the child's portion of the strawberry and banana pancakes Shelby ordered, along with some orange juice, Shelby deciding not to order coffee to avoid a repeat of the previous day.

The young girl was over the moon to find she had the same breakfast as her Momma and she tucked in happily, chatting away as she made her way through her pancakes.

Once everyone had finished, and an abundance of syrup had been wiped from Rachel's face, they decided to take Rachel to the zoo in central park. "I no see" Rachel pouted, holding up her arms, "p'ease Momma"

Hiram and Leroy both smiled as Shelby lifted Rachel to her hip, "better?" she asked, getting a nod and a grin in response from the toddler.

"You wouldn't believe they've ever been apart would you?" Hiram smiled, linking his arm with Leroy's as they strolled a few paces behind mother and daughter.

"No" Leroy smiled, "but I'm not looking forward to getting Rachel on the plane home once she realises Shelby isn't coming with us."

"I know. At least we know Shelby's going to come and visit in a few weeks, and we can call her, let her speak to Rachel on the phone too."

Leroy nodded, "we'll make it work. For both their sakes, we'll make it work."

The four of them had lunch together, Rachel insisting on sitting on Shelby's lap as mother and daughter shared tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich and once they'd eaten, Hiram and Leroy said goodbye to Shelby and Rachel, telling Rachel to be good for her Momma and reminding Shelby to ring them if she needed anything.

Rachel let out a loud yawn as she left the sandwich shop hand in hand with her Momma, "are you tired?" Shelby asked. Rachel nodded and Shelby stopped for a moment, putting both Rachel's small bag and her bunny into the larger backpack Hiram had given her, slinging it onto one shoulder before sitting Rachel on the opposite hip, "come on then Sweet Girl, let's get you back for a nap" she smiled as she headed for the subway, surprised at how quickly the girl fell asleep, the toddler quickly becoming a dead weight in her arms as she dozed off, her head resting on her Momma's shoulder.

Shelby was momentarily shocked when somebody stood and offered her a seat when she got on the train, and she almost declined automatically, her body having got used to the weight of Rachel in her arms, but she quickly remembered the toddler sleeping against her and gratefully accepted the seat, shifting Rachel slightly to make sure she was still comfortable as she napped.

After carrying Rachel round the zoo, and then carrying her for the final ten minute walk to her home, Shelby was exhausted when she finally reached her apartment, glad she'd had the sense to take her key out and slip it in her pocket when she was on the subway. She unlocked the door and climbed the stairs, laying her sleeping daughter on the couch and covered her with a blanket before going back to lock the door, something she usually did as she came in.

Once that was done she sat at the other end of the couch and opened the backpack to see what Hiram and Leroy had packed. She couldn't help but smile as she saw the bunny pushed into the top of the bag and took a moment to hold it herself, remembering how soft it was, how she'd fallen in love with it almost as soon as she'd seen it, glad her daughter seemed to love the stuffed animal as much as she did and she tucked it under the blanket with Rachel before going back to the bag. Rachel's tiny unicorn backpack came out next, containing, as Hiram had told her, a plastic bottle, covered with Disney princesses and full of water, a granola bar and a picture book, Shelby's eyes filling with tears when she recalled Hiram telling her the book was Rachel's favourite. Shelby had taken to reading the, now well worn, copy of '_guess how much I love you_' to her belly during her pregnancy, and when Hiram had found out, he'd simply smiled and told her she could put the book in the bookcase in the nursery if she wanted to.

The rest of the bag contained nothing too exciting, pyjamas and a change of clothes for the morning, the pull up Hiram had mentioned, a small bag containing a pink toothbrush, fruity toothpaste, a wash cloth and a hairbrush, and then there were a couple of storybooks and a few toys to keep Rachel occupied, Hiram and Leroy wanting things to be as easy as possible for Shelby.

She took the clothes into her bedroom, setting them on top of her dresser, and put Rachel's washbag in her bathroom, smiling at the thought of, one day, maybe having her daughter's toiletries stacked amongst her own so she didn't need to bring anything with her when she came to stay.

Once she'd put Rachel's things away, Shelby picked up a book of her own, planning to read until Rachel woke, but she found herself transfixed by the toddler sleeping on the sofa beside her, and she found herself simply watching the girl as she napped.

"Momma" Rachel yawned, smiling up at Shelby as she stretched out on the couch.

"Hello" Shelby smiled, lifting Rachel onto her lap when she reached out to her, "did you have a nice nap?"

"Yeah" Rachel nuzzled into Shelby, "I s'eepy".

Shelby pulled the blanket around Rachel as she cradled her in her arms, "that's okay, you can nap a little longer if you want."

Rachel didn't go back to sleep, she spent almost 20 minutes cuddled into her Momma as Shelby hummed quietly to her, but that was all the time she needed to wake up properly, and almost in the blink of an eye she'd gone from snuggling into Shelby, to almost bouncing with excitement, so Shelby did the only thing she could think of, she got their shoes and jackets and took Rachel's hand as they walked to the small play area a few blocks from Shelby's apartment, Rachel chatting away happily as they walked.

Shelby smiled, watching as Rachel scrambled up the shallow cargo net, "look Momma, I up now" she beamed when she reached the platform.

"You are" Shelby grinned, "where are you going to go now?" Rachel giggled and didn't answer as she climbed up two small steps before falling to her knees and crawling through the tunnel, "Boo!" Shelby walked round to the other side of the jungle gym to surprise her daughter.

"Momma" Rachel shrieked with laughter before pointing to a spiral slide, "you ca' me?"

"Of course" Shelby nodded, moving to stand at the bottom of the slide to catch her daughter.

"'gain?" Rachel giggled when Shelby caught her in her arms and span her round.

Shelby nodded and set Rachel back on her feet, making sure she had her balance before letting her race off, the play area was fully enclosed so Shelby knew she didn't have to worry too much, could watch her daughter enjoying herself as she chose this time to climb the curved ladder, race across the bridge and throw herself down the tube slide, not even needing to ask, knowing her Momma would be there to catch her at the bottom.

Rachel's tummy hurt as she raced around the park but she didn't mind, in fact she quite liked it, it was the sort of tummy ache that she only got when she'd been laughing a lot, and her Momma made her laugh. A lot. Rachel knew she had a Mommy. Her Daddy and Papa told her she had a Mommy, they told her that her Mommy loved her but she lived a long way away. They were right, she'd had to sit still on the airplane for _ages_ until she'd got to see her Mommy but it was worth it. Her Momma was so much fun, she'd spent forever running around with her, she'd even climbed on the jungle gym with her. Rachel still loved her Dada and her Papa, they were the best, but sometimes they asked her to play on her own, and they'd never actually climbed on the jungle gym with her, they said they were too old, Rachel didn't know what 'old' was but her Momma obviously wasn't it and she hoped she never got it either, if being old meant you couldn't play any more then she didn't want to ever be old.

Rachel shrieked, her legs pumping as fast as they could as she tried to run away from her Momma, her Momma was pretending to be a monster and she was pretending to be scared but her Momma was too silly and she couldn't stop laughing. She tried to climb onto the jungle gym to hide in the tunnel but she wasn't fast enough and Shelby scooped her into her arms, lifting her into the air and spinning her around until she felt dizzy.

"So Sweet Girl" Shelby swung Rachel to sit on her hip, "shall we go get some dinner?"

Rachel giggled and nodded, she liked how her Momma called her sweet girl. She wondered if her Momma forgot her name sometimes, but it didn't matter, Dada and Papa called her Sunshine so she was happy for her Momma to call her Sweet Girl, "where go?" she asked inquisitively.

"I thought we could get burgers?" Shelby suggested.

Rachel nodded, "yummy" she grinned.

Shelby ordered the burgers to take away, singing silly songs with Rachel to pass the time as they waited for their food, and, once it was ready, Rachel insisted on helping carry it the short distance back to Shelby's apartment.

They sat together, crossed legged on the couch as they ate, a towel wrapped around Rachel as a makeshift bib to save her clothes from the sauce dripping from the burger. "Is that nice?" she asked, although, from the speed the girl was eating it, the answer was obvious.

"Yeah" Rachel grinned, ketchup on her chin and her nose, "yummy, ta Momma."

"You're welcome" Shelby smiled as she opened the portion of fries she'd ordered and set them between them both.

They played together for a while once they'd eaten, Rachel helping Shelby clear up the rubbish from their dinner, cartoons playing on the TV but neither mother or daughter paid any attention as Rachel made up a silly little game that she wanted to play with her Momma.

It was a little after 7 when Rachel crawled onto Shelby's lap and let out another yawn. "Are you ready for bed now?" Shelby asked, getting a sleepy nod in response from the toddler, "let's get you changed then" she smiled, standing and carrying the girl into her bedroom.

She changed Rachel and helped her use the bathroom and clean her teeth before tucking her into bed and offering her the books, "what shall we read?" she asked as she sat beside Rachel on the bed. Shelby blinking back tears when Rachel went straight for '_guess how much I love you_'.

Rachel was excited as she snuggled down under the covers, the bed was soft and warm and it smelled just like her Momma did. And her Momma was going to read her her favourite story. Her Daddy and Papa read it to her a lot, they told her her Mommy left her that story so they could tell her that she loved them, but now her Momma was going to read it to her, just like Little Nutbrown Hare, she had her Momma there to tell her just how much she loved her.

Shelby waited for Rachel to settle down and stroked her hair from her face before beginning to read the story to her daughter, smiling as she saw Rachel gazing up at her as she read. "Dada an' Papa say it" Rachel nodded once Shelby had finished the story, "say Momma lub me to moon an' back."

Shelby smiled and ran her hand over Rachel's hair, "that's right Sweet Girl, I do." She couldn't believe it, knew Rachel wasn't making it up, Hiram and Leroy had told Rachel she loved her, Rachel knew, knew that even though they weren't physically together, she still loved her.

Shelby read Rachel the second book she'd chosen, smiling as the girl yawned halfway through the story, "are you ready to go to sleep now?" she asked softly as she gently stroked Rachel's cheek.

"Dada an' Papa?" Rachel whispered, suddenly feeling a little scared.

"They've gone out Darling, you're going to sleep here tonight and we'll see them in the morning."

"You s'eep?"

Shelby nodded, "I'll be sleeping right here with you." she gestured to the space she'd laid in to read to her daughter, "is that okay?"

Rachel thought for a moment, still looking unsure as she nodded, glancing around the room. "Dada an' Papa come back?"

"Do you remember last night? You slept at the hotel with Daddy and Papa, and then I came and had breakfast with you?" Rachel nodded again, "well tonight you're going to sleep here with me, and in the morning we'll go and have breakfast with Daddy and Papa."

"Kay" Rachel nodded, "you stay?"

Shelby nodded, "how about I go turn everything off in the other room and we watch a movie together in bed?"

"Yeah" Rachel nodded, "kay."

Shelby made her way back into the bedroom once she'd turned off everything in the living room and kitchen and she quickly changed into her own pyjamas before slipping a Disney film into the DVD player and joining Rachel in bed.

The toddler had been sat up in the bed, duvet pooled in her lap, bunny clutched to her chest as she waited for Shelby, "come on Sweet Girl" Shelby said softly as she laid on her side, "lay down and get comfortable."

Rachel nodded and shuffled down under the covers, "Momma?"

"I'm here, I'm not going anywhere" she promised as she wrapped her arm around Rachel and held her close, kissing Rachel's head as a tiny hand came to rest on top of Shelby's, almost as if Rachel wanted to be sure her Momma wouldn't leave. She rolled over a few minutes later, bunny clutched to her chest as she tucked herself into her Momma's chest, "lub you Momma" she mumbled as she slowly fell asleep.

That broke down Shelby's walls and she couldn't hold back her tears any longer as she placed a soft kiss to Rachel's head, "I love you too Sweet Girl. To the moon and back."


	3. Chapter 3

I'm so happy that so many of you have followed/favourited/left reviews on this fic, I have fallen absolutely in love with this AU and I have so much planned that I can't wait to share with you all! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'm enjoying reading it!

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"Hello" Shelby smiled sleepily the next morning, a quick glance at the clock told her it wasn't even 6am, but she'd been woken with a sloppy kiss to her cheek and her daughter climbing onto her chest.

"Hi" Rachel yawned, reaching up to gently pat Shelby's cheek, "s'eep now Momma"

Shelby chuckled quietly and kissed Rachel's hair as the girl settled down, her head tucked into the crook of Shelby's neck, the ear of her rabbit clutched in her hand. "Okay. Sweet dreams Rachel."

"S'eet d'eams Momma" Rachel mumbled as she drifted back to sleep, happy to be lying on her Momma, Shelby too falling quickly back to sleep, finding the weight of the toddler on her chest strangely comforting.

It was a little after seven the next time Rachel woke, Shelby stirring as the girl began to move and she reached out, gently running her hand down Rachel's back, smiling at the sleepy yawn she heard but she didn't say anything, wasn't sure if Rachel was waking up or if she'd fall back to sleep again, she didn't mind either way, just didn't want a cranky little girl if she was woken before she was ready to wake up, they hadn't planned to meet Hiram and Leroy until 10 so they had plenty of time for Rachel to sleep a little longer if she wanted to, and they had plenty of time to cuddle too and Shelby knew she'd never complain about that.

"I hung'y Momma" Rachel mumbled a while later as she gently stroked the ear of her bunny against her cheek, a method of self-soothing she'd had since she was tiny.

"Okay, shall we get something to eat then? Some toast or some fruit?"

Rachel nodded, "berries?" she asked hopefully, lifting her head to grin sleepily at Shelby.

"Yeah" Shelby returned the smile and kissed Rachel's nose, "I've got some strawberries, is that what you want?"

"Yeah" Rachel grinned excitedly as she sat up on Shelby's chest, strawberries were one of her most favourite things in the world and she was happy that her Momma knew that, "have now?"

"Sure" Shelby wrapped her arms around Rachel as she sat up too, keeping the girl in her arms as she stood from the bed and walked into the open plan living area. "How about we see if we can find some cartoons for you while I cut them up?" she asked as she sat Rachel on the couch and flicked on the TV and found something the girl seemed happy to watch.

Shelby didn't give Rachel too many strawberries, enough to stop her feeling hungry but not so many that she wouldn't want to eat breakfast with her fathers. But somehow, Rachel still managed to get strawberry juice all over her hands, face and chest, Shelby having had the sense to take off Rachel's pyjama top before she'd started eating.

"Do you want to have a shower with me?" Shelby asked once Rachel was finished, not sure if Hiram and Leroy would mind her showering with the toddler, but at the same time, she didn't want to leave Rachel on her own while she showered and sticking the girl in the shower with her seemed like the easiest way to clean the sticky strawberry juice from the toddler.

Rachel shrugged, "I no no it" she'd heard her Daddy and her Papa talk about the shower before but she'd never had one.

"Shall I show you?" Rachel nodded and Shelby took her hand, leading her into the bathroom and showing her the shower, she turned on the water and checked the temperature, "it's just water" she said softly, "we stand under it and get clean".

Rachel frowned, "scawy?"

"It's not scary" Shelby shook her head, "it's just like rain, put your hand under it if you want?" Rachel slowly reached out and put her hand into the shower cubicle, giggling when she felt the water on her arm, "see" Shelby smiled, "it's not scary is it?" Rachel shook her head, "are we going to have a shower then?"

"Yeah Momma" Rachel nodded, "we do it."

"Okay, just let me get an extra towel for you and then we can get in."

Rachel quickly decided that she loved showering with her Momma she especially loved that her Momma used the same shampoo and shower gel on her as she did on herself, she was going to smell just as nice as her Momma did. She also loved how her Momma bundled her up in a big fluffy towel once she was done and carried her back into the bedroom to dry her off.

"Wha'do Momma?" Rachel asked innocently as she sat on the bed, still wrapped in her towel, watching as Shelby plugged in her hairdryer.

"I'm going to dry our hair" she told her, "so we don't have to go out with it wet". Rachel frowned and Shelby assumed that Hiram and Leroy just let Rachel's hair dry naturally overnight, "it's a little noisy but it's just warm air, do you want to try it on your hand first?"

Rachel nodded and Shelby turned on the hairdryer, flicking it onto the coolest setting and testing it on her own hand first before gently holding it close to Rachel's hand, the girl giggling as Shelby slowly moved it up her arm, "I like it" she decided with a firm nod, "I no scawed."

"Okay, let's dry your hair then" Shelby smiled as she moved to sit behind Rachel, gently combing through the girl's dark hair as she dried it.

They dressed once Shelby had dried her own hair, Rachel helping her brush it, and cleaned their teeth together, Rachel sat on the counter by the sink, a happy smile on her face as she copied her Momma.

Once they were both ready, Shelby sat Rachel on the couch to watch cartoons again as Shelby packed the girl's things back into her bag. "Are you ready to go?" she asked as she gave the living room a final glance to be sure she hadn't forgotten anything, it was a little earlier than she'd usually leave, but she knew she'd probably be a little slower with Rachel in tow.

She was right, not only did the toddler, obviously, walk slower than her Momma, but she was curious, stopping to ask questions about everything she saw, but Shelby didn't mind, was happy to answer her daughter's questions the best she could. She thought Rachel might be bored on the train so she'd been sure to pack the books close to the top of the bag so they could read if she got antsy, but the novelty of, not only getting on a train, but getting on a train with her Momma was enough to keep the girl happy as she sat on her seat, chattering away and occasionally turning just to grin up at her Mom.

They met at Hiram and Leroy's hotel so they could leave the bag of Rachel's things behind, and Shelby let go of Rachel's hand, letting her run into the lobby when she saw the two men were already waiting for them. "Smell me" Rachel insisted almost as soon as she saw her fathers.

Both men sniffed at the girl, "don't you smell nice?" Hiram smiled.

"We showered together" Shelby explained as she caught up, "I didn't know what to do with her while I had a shower so I just took her in with me."

"Shelby it's fine" Leroy reassured her, "she's bathed with both of us in the past, we've never been able to get her in the shower though!"

"She liked the fact that she got to use my shampoo and soap because she didn't have her own. She keeps sniffing herself" she chuckled.

"Oh bless" Hiram smiled as he took a good look at Shelby, wanting to know how the night had gone and knew she'd be reluctant to tell him if things had gone badly, but he saw no worry or stress on Shelby's face, her eyes shining with more love and happiness than Hiram had ever seen, "let me take this up to our room" he took the bag from Shelby, "then we can go eat."

"Benny?" Rachel questioned from Leroy's arms.

"He's in the bag" Shelby promised.

Hiram opened the backpack and showed his daughter the stuffed bunny, "I'll tuck him into bed for you so he's all ready for tonight."

"Kay Dada" Rachel beamed, "t'ank you."

Hiram wasn't gone long, and they decided to head back to the same diner they'd been to the day before to get breakfast, "So" Hiram slipped his arm through Shelby's as Leroy walked a little ahead of them, Rachel sat on his shoulders, occasionally glancing back to make sure her other parents were still behind them, "how was your first night as Momma?"

Shelby couldn't help but smile, "you were right about her being a cuddle bug. She did get a little upset at bedtime, she asked where you were and if you were coming back, but we ended up watching a Disney movie together in bed and she fell asleep pretty quickly."

"I'm glad" Hiram smiled, "we didn't say anything because we didn't want you to feel like there was any more pressure on you than you were probably already feeling, but it's the first night she's ever spent away from us."

"She…"

"Leroy works night shifts sometimes and occasionally I go away for a few nights for work but one or the other of us is always there with her."

"I erm, I'm honoured that you'd trust me like that."

"You're her Mommy Shelby, if we were going to leave her with anyone overnight, it made sense that it was going to be you."

"She erm, she told me that she loved me" Shelby admitted. "Luckily she was already on her way to sleep because I cried a little bit."

"Oh Shelby" Hiram wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into him, "she does love you, so, so much, and she knows you love her too."

"She told me" Shelby looked up at him as they walked, tears forming in her eyes, "she told me you've been reading her the book, that you told her I love her to the moon and back. Thank you."

"We did" he nodded, "and you don't need to thank us. Every time we read her that book, we told her it was from you, that you lived a long way away so she couldn't see you, but you left her that book so we could read it to her and remind her how much you love her. And we told her that you'd filled the bunny with cuddles, so that every time she hugged it, she'd be getting a hug from you."

"You…" Shelby willed herself not to cry in the street.

"We knew" Hiram told her, "as soon as we realised you'd left, we knew we'd made a mistake, that we shouldn't have shut you out of her life. We knew you loved her, and we wanted her to know you loved her too, we've been trying for so long to find you Shelby, please believe us."

"I do" she nodded, "and I'm so grateful that you did."

Hiram shook his head, "we should be grateful to you, for forgiving us, for allowing us back into your life."

"There's nothing to forgive" Shelby told him, "I knew what I was getting into, I knew what the contract said, and you've… she's happy and healthy, and you obviously love her just as much as I do, and that's all I ever wanted."

"I just want you to know that we mean it Shelby, Leroy and I, we want you to be around, we want her to grow up knowing you, it might take us a while to find our feet and to figure out something that works for all of us, but we'll get there. We're not going to take her from you Shelby, not again."

Rachel chose to sit between her fathers at breakfast, but Shelby didn't mind, her seat opposite the girl at the round table meant that she could chat easily to Rachel, both Hiram and Leroy rolling their eyes and holding back their own laughter when they looked up from their menus after hearing Rachel's cheeky little giggle, only to find mother and daughter pulling silly faces at one another.

"The wind will change and you'll be stuck like that" Leroy smiled playfully.

Shelby shook her head, blushing slightly as she went back to the menu, she wouldn't mind even if the wind did change, she'd do anything if it meant she got to hear more of Rachel's adorable little giggle.

An hour after breakfast and Rachel was back to being her Momma's shadow, once again finding herself in Shelby's arms as they walked through the busy streets.

They spent the day being 'tourists'. Shelby lived New York, she'd fallen in love with the city on her very first visit when she was just 14, but she fell in love with the city even more when she got to experience it through the eyes of her daughter. She'd been up the empire state building, she'd been on a boat trip to see the statue of liberty, but doing those things with Rachel, experiencing them with a two year old who saw the wonder in everything, who saw everything as such a big adventure, changed Shelby's view of the city she loved for the better.

"Why don't you come back to the hotel with us?" Leroy suggested once they'd eaten dinner, "Hiram and I can stay in the lobby and give you a little privacy to say goodbye if you want it."

Shelby nodded, blinking back tears at the thought, the ache in her chest had been there all day, growing as the day progressed, knowing that every minute that passed was a minute closer to the time she'd have to walk away from her baby again. "I'd appreciate that" she said softly, screwing her eyes shut to stop her tears as Hiram pulled her into a hug.

Leroy handed Shelby his key card once they reached the hotel, "room 824" he told her, "Hiram and I will wait down here, take as long as you need, just let us know when to come up" he said softly, kissing her cheek before handing Rachel over and pushing Shelby gently in the direction of the elevator.

"Momma?" Rachel frowned slightly, she was staying here with Daddy and Papa and she didn't quite understand why her Momma was here and they weren't. "Wha'do?"

Shelby let herself into the room and sat down on what she assumed was Rachel's bed, the bed Hiram had placed the Bunny on that morning. She sighed softly, appreciating Hiram and Leroy allowing her to say goodbye on her own, but also wishing they were here to help her explain things to the toddler, "you're going home tomorrow" Shelby said softly.

"You too?" Rachel's head snapped up to look at Shelby.

"No" Shelby had to close her eyes when she saw Rachel's bottom lip tremble, "I live here Rachel, Daddy and Papa will be going home with you."

"No" Rachel tightened her hold on her Momma, "I stay, I stay you."

"You can't stay with me Baby" Shelby held Rachel close and kissed her hair, "I have to go to school, and you have to go to daycare to play with all your friends."

"No Momma" Rachel clung to Shelby, "I sc'ool you."

"You'd be bored baby, you need to go home with Daddy and Papa, but I'll see you soon."

"Morrow?" Rachel asked as fat tears began to roll down her cheeks. She didn't want to go home, she wanted to stay here with her Daddy and her Papa and her Mommy.

"No, not tomorrow" Shelby said quietly, wiping at Rachel's tears as she fought back tears of her own, but I promise it won't be long."

"I no want go" Rachel whimpered.

"I know" Shelby gently rubbed Rachel's back, "but we've had fun haven't we?" Rachel nodded and Shelby wiped at her tears, "and if you feel sad, you can think about all the fun we've had, and the next time I see you we'll have even more fun."

Shelby held Rachel close, rubbing her back as the toddler began to sob noisily, clinging to her Mommy and sobbing that she didn't want her to go. She didn't want her baby to go either, she felt like a weekend just hadn't been long enough, and, not for the first time over the past couple of days, Shelby considered packing everything back and moving to Ohio.

Rachel looked up at Shelby, eyes shining with tears, bottom lip quivering as she quietly asked, "stowy?"

"Of course" Shelby balanced Rachel on her hip as she stood, opening the backpack she'd given Hiram that morning, not asking which book her daughter wanted, simply pulling out 'guess how much I love you' and settling on the bed to read to the toddler.

"Momma" Rachel interrupted, a few pages into the story.

"Yes my sweet girl?"

Rachel looked up at Shelby and reached out, letting her little hand rest on her Momma's cheek, "soon?"

Shelby dipped her head and rubbed noses with Rachel, "soon" she promised. She finished the story and hugged Rachel tight, noticing the way the girl kept nuzzling against her she had an idea. She slipped off both the sweater she was wearing and the tank top she had on underneath, pulling her sweater back on before handing the tank top to her daughter, rubbing Rachel's back as the girl instantly buried her face in the black fabric and began to sob.

Rachel eventually cried herself to sleep in Shelby's arms, still clutching the tank top tightly. Shelby held her for a moment longer, her own tears spilling down her cheeks as she kissed her hair and laid her gently on the bed before reaching for her phone and letting Hiram and Leroy know Rachel had fallen asleep.

It didn't take the men long to make their way back to their room and they shared a sad smile when they saw the way Shelby was watching Rachel sleep, tears rolling silently down her cheeks. "Oh Shelby" Hiram was the first to pull her into a hug, Leroy joining in just seconds later as Shelby desperately tried to pull her together.

"Here" Leroy handed Shelby a sheet of paper once they pulled away, sitting down on the chair from the desk as Hiram sat on the edge of their bed with Shelby, his arm around her waist. "I wasn't going to book it til we went home but I didn't want to leave you wondering if we were serious about you coming to visit, so I've booked your flight back to Ohio to come visit, if the times aren't good then I can change them."

"I…" Shelby unfolded the booking confirmation that Leroy had asked the hotel reception to print off for him, "the times are… Leroy, these are business class flights."

"You'll have been in class in the morning and as soon as you get off that plane you're going to have an excited toddler to deal with, make the most of the time on the flight to relax" he told her as he reached for a box of tissues on the desk and held it out towards Shelby.

"Thank you" Shelby wiped at her eyes before looking up at Leroy, "I'd have been fine in coach, hell I'd have been fine on the bus, this, it's too much."

"You gave us a child Shelby" Leroy gestured over to the toddler, "nothing we do for you can ever be too much."

"You're not going to change our mind about this Shelby" Hiram told her, "and we'll have to look at our schedules, but one of us will be at the airport with Rachel to meet you."

"You don't have to do that" she insisted, "I can get the bus and…"

"Do you really think Rachel would be happy if she knew she had to wait longer than absolutely necessary to see you again?" Hiram raised an eyebrow, "one of us will be there to meet you Shelby, we'll let you know who nearer the time."

"Thank you" Shelby folded the paper back up and slipped it into her pocket, "and thank you for bringing her to visit, she, she's amazing, she's so happy and confident and so, so loved. She's everything I always imagined she would be. There aren't any words to… just, thank you."

"Rachel's loved meeting you" Leroy told her, "and I know Hiram and I have both enjoyed seeing you again too, and we promise that we'll do all we can to make sure this is a regular thing, to be sure you get to see each other as often as possible."

Shelby nodded, "it's been nice to see you both" she agreed, "I… There were times when I forgot how long it's been since we last saw each other."

"We've both said the same" Hiram smiled as he glanced over at Rachel, "do you need whatever she's holding back?" he asked.

"No" she shook her head, "it's the tank top I was wearing. She can, she can keep it if that's okay?"

"Of course" Hiram smiled, seeing how Rachel was clutching the fabric tightly in her hands as she slept, "but just be prepared to leave her something like that every time you visit."

Shelby chuckled and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, "I'm sure I can manage that" she took one last look at her daughter before telling the men, "I should be getting off, I don't want her to get upset all over again saying goodbye if she wakes and I'm still here."

"Can we get you a cab?" Leroy asked, despite knowing Shelby's answer already.

"I'll be fine thanks" she said as she stood, "and yes, I'll let you know when I'm home" she rolled her eyes playfully when she saw him go to speak, knowing what he was going to ask.

"Thank you" Leroy nodded, kissing Shelby's cheek before hugging her tightly, "we'll see you soon" he promised.

Hiram smiled, "I'll walk you down to the lobby" he said, slipping a room key into his pocket and leaving the room with Shelby. "Thank you for agreeing to see us again" he said once they were in the hotel reception, "and I'm sure once Rachel realises that she's always going to see you again, she'll not get quite so upset and it will get easier for you both."

"I hope so" Shelby nodded.

"Take care of yourself Shelby" Hiram pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her cheek, "and if you need anything, or you just want to chat, about Rachel, about anything, you have both our numbers okay?"

"Thank you" Shelby returned the hug, "I'll see you in a few weeks."

Hiram nodded as Shelby started to walk away, "already counting down the days" he told her with a wink, watching Shelby leave the building before going back to his husband and daughter, surprised at the sinking feeling he felt, knowing that, once again, Shelby was walking away from them, even if this time it was only temporary.


	4. Chapter 4

immazinaman - I'm gad you like the relationship between little Rachel and her Momma, hopefully I'll be able to change your mind about Shelby and Rachel's Dads too, in my opinion, and hopefully in the way I write it, I think Shelby can be a fierce, independent Momma Bear, but still go home every night to two men and a little girl who love her to pieces!

This one's a bit of a filler chapter to get us to where we need to be for next time, but I have got quite a lot of the next chapter already written, so hopefully it won't be too long before it's ready to post.

* * *

Shelby found herself wandering aimlessly after her classes on Monday, it had been less than 24 hours since she'd said goodbye to her daughter and she already missed her terribly, so she was trying to do anything to take her mind off the toddler that had stolen her heart.

Without thinking, she found herself outside her favourite bookstore and she made her way inside, maybe if she treated herself to something new, she could get lost in someone else's story for a while and think about something other than her daughter. Or at least she could waste some time browsing for something.

She eventually chose two novels for herself, and she was waiting in line to pay when something caught her eye and she left the queue to have a closer look before venturing into the brightly decorated children's section of the bookstore.

She walked out almost fifteen minutes later, having purchased both the two books she'd chosen for herself and two large cardboard books for Rachel, both with the ability for Shelby to record her voice reading the stories for Rachel to listen to, she might not be able to tuck her daughter into bed every night, but knowing she could at least read to Rachel, despite the distance between them made Shelby feel like she was at least doing something.

Once she was home, Shelby didn't waste any time, sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table and taking out one of the books, reading the instructions before getting herself a glass of water and settling down to record the stories.

She smiled as she finished the first book, playing it back to check it had worked, the sound of her own voice made her cringe a little but she couldn't help but smile, there'd been time at the end for her to record her own message and she'd wished her daughter sweet dreams and reminded her that she loved her and she'd see her soon. She wished she'd be able to see Rachel's face when her voice spoke from the book, but just knowing that Rachel would be able to hear her voice was enough to put a smile on Shelby's face.

"Leroy, hi" Shelby was doing the dishes on Thursday evening when she answered his call, balancing the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she wiped her hands on the dish towel, "is everything okay?"

"I just called to thank you for the books. Rachel loved them. We listened to them both tonight" Leroy told her, "guess how much I love you went down a treat, she loves it but she's decided now that Hiram and I can't read it because it's Momma's story."

"Oh" Shelby tucked her legs under herself as she moved to sit on her couch, "I'm sorry about that…"

"Don't be" Leroy answered quickly, "she's right, it is your story, it's always been your story."

"Did she like the other story?" Shelby asked, the second book, 'guess how much I miss you', a story about a bear telling her cub just how much she missed him when he went away.

"We had a few tears" Leroy said honestly, "it's a beautiful story, but she just started sobbing that she missed you and she wanted you."

"I miss her too" Shelby said honestly, "but I'm sorry I upset her."

"No, you didn't upset her, she's two years old Shelby, this has been a big change for her and she's probably a little overwhelmed by this and still trying to figure out how to deal with her feelings, that's okay. We'd rather she was crying and telling us that she missed you than not telling us or not being able to deal with it."

"Should I…" Shelby sighed and pulled the band from her hair, running her fingers through her messy curls.

"Should you what?" Leroy prompted.

Shelby sighed again, it was something that had been on her mind all week, "leave New York? Come back to Ohio?"

"Absolutely not. You've worked so hard to get where you are Shelby, you can't throw it all away, not when you're so close to finishing college, to living the life you've always dreamed of. I know this is hard for you, for both of you but we'll find a way to make this work Shelby, I promise."

"Okay."

Leroy thought for a moment, "are you free tomorrow evening? About seven, seven thirty?"

"I'm working at the coffee shop but we're not usually busy, I should be able to take my break about then."

"I'll call you, you can say goodnight to Rachel if you want? You can talk for a while before we put her to bed, any contact with you has got to be better than nothing, for both of you.

"I'd like that" Shelby nodded, "as long as you're sure it won't upset her?"

"I can't promise there won't be more tears" Leroy said honestly, "but I don't want to keep you apart, if she cries we'll comfort her, and maybe the next time you call her she might not get quite so upset."

"If you're sure?"

"Absolutely, so one of us will call you tomorrow? Between seven and seven thirty?"

"I'll look forward to it" Shelby smiled, saying goodbye to Leroy before relaxing back into the couch cushions with a smile on her face, she might not be seeing her baby again for a few weeks, but Leroy was right, getting to speak to her was much better than having no contact at all.

It was just after lunch on Friday when Leroy received a text from Shelby, '_Have you told Rachel I'm calling her tonight? Sx_'

He frowned slightly as he read her message, quickly replying, '_No, not yet, I thought you could surprise her. Why?_'

'_Can we put it off til tomorrow?_' Shelby read the message before hitting send, and, not wanting Leroy to think she was letting Rachel down, added an explanation, '_I've overnighted a parcel and I want her to have it before you call_.'

Leroy smiled and shook his head, Shelby would spoil Rachel rotten if she had the chance. '_Tomorrow's fine. Do I want to ask about the parcel or is it a surprise?_'

'_I've sent some more books_' Shelby didn't mind telling him, '_she might already have them, but I bought two copies of them, one for Rachel and one for me. I thought she could choose something and I could read to her_.'

Leroy couldn't help but smile at Shelby's actions, knowing Hiram would probably tear up when he told him what Shelby had done '_That's a lovely thought, I'm sure she'd love that. Let me send you the money for the books?_'

Shelby suddenly began to doubt herself, what if Hiram and Leroy didn't want her to read Rachel's bedtime story, she didn't want to step on their toes, didn't want them to think she was trying to push her way into their lives. '_There's no need to do that. Are you sure it's okay? I probably should have asked first_.'

"Oh Shelby" Leroy rolled his eyes, wondering how long it would take Shelby to realise they meant what they said, they wanted her to be Rachel's Mom, there was no need for her to ask about things like reading her a story. '_It's a perfect idea Shelby, Rachel will love it, don't worry about it_.'

'Okay, thank you' Shelby felt relieved by Leroy's words, '_I've got to go now, work calls, but I'll speak to you tomorrow, give Rachel a kiss from me Sx_'

Leroy didn't need to think about his reply, his fingers working almost automatically to tell Shelby, '_We always do x_'

Shelby worked the opening shift on Saturday morning, she didn't always enjoy the early start, but she did enjoy the extra money she got when she worked an opening or closing shift, and she liked the fact that by 4pm she was back in her apartment and done for the day. She knew she could quite easily spend the next three hours watching the clock, so made the conscious decision to keep herself busy, vacuuming her apartment, mopping the kitchen floor and cleaning the bathroom from top to bottom before sitting down to work on an assignment that wasn't due for another month.

It was 7.19 when Hiram's name flashed up on her cellphone screen, "Hi" she put down her pen and made her way into her bedroom where she'd left the picture books.

"Hi, Leroy's had to work late so you've got me I'm afraid, are you okay?"

"I'm good" Shelby nodded, spreading the books out on her bed, "how are you, how's Rachel?"

"We're okay, we had a couple of rough moments with her where she's been crying for you" he said honestly, "but we keep reminding her you'll be seeing her soon, I'm sure she'll love to talk to you though."

Shelby sighed, "I'm sorry, that she's been crying for me."

"No" Hiram said firmly, "you don't apologise for having a bond with your daughter, you don't apologise for the fact she loves you. Now, I've just sent her to get into bed, I didn't know if you wanted me to open this box or if you wanted Rachel to do it?"

"Erm" Shelby thought for a minute, "it might be best if you do it? I don't want her getting excited that she's got a parcel when you're trying to get her settled to sleep."

"Okay" Shelby heard the ripping of tape and the scuffle as Hiram took the books from the box, "Oh Shelby. She's going to love these, thank you. Let me put her on".

"Thank you" Shelby smiled, listening as Hiram walked through to Rachel's room.

"There's someone on the phone for you Sunshine" he said as he handed the phone over to the toddler, already sat in bed, her bunny on her lap, Shelby's tank top clutched in her fist.

Rachel frowned as she took the phone, "me?" she asked. Nobody ever wanted to talk to her on the phone, except Daddy or Papa if they weren't here, and Daddy was right there and Papa had already called and said goodnight to her.

"You" Hiram nodded, gesturing to the phone, "say hello" he prompted.

Rachel laid the tank top in her lap and carefully lifted the phone to her ear, "hello?"

"Hey baby" Shelby couldn't hold back her smile.

Rachel's face lit up, "Momma?"

"That's right, I know you miss me, and I miss you too, so I thought I'd call you to say goodnight."

"I want you be here" Rachel said quietly.

"I want to be there too baby but I live a long way away I can talk to you on the phone though. Have you had a good day?" she asked, wanting to distract Rachel before she got too upset.

"Yeah. I play tea party with Dada".

"That sounds fun" Shelby smiled before telling Rachel, "Daddy's got some new books for you. I thought you could choose some and we could read them together."

"You do stowy?"

"I'll read your story" Shelby nodded, smiling as she heard Hiram showing her the books, "can you let Daddy tell me which book it is?" Shelby asked once it sounded like Rachel had made her choice, "so I can read too."

"Tell her Dada" Rachel offered the phone to Hiram, "I no no what it say" she stabbed the front cover of the book with her index finger.

Hiram chuckled and took the phone, telling Shelby the name of the story before letting her know, "I'm going to put you on speaker so we can look at the pictures" he told her before reassuring Rachel, "Momma can still hear you sunshine, you can still talk to her."

"Daddy's right" Shelby spoke, "you can still talk to me, now, are you and Benny comfy?" She heard a soft 'yeah' followed by a yawn as smiled to herself, "okay then."

Shelby heard Hiram quietly encouraging Rachel to turn the page at the right time, but other than that he was silent, letting mother and daughter have their moment, Shelby pausing after each page to let Rachel talk about the pictures, pointing out things that interested her and asking Shelby questions about the story.

"You read Momma book?" Rachel asked hopefully once they'd finished the first story.

"Yeah" Shelby smiled, she'd bought herself a copy of 'guess how much I love you' so she could read it to Rachel, despite knowing it almost completely off by heart, "of course I will."

"You get it me Dada?" Rachel asked with a yawn, "p'ease"

"Of course Sunshine" Hiram stood from the bed and took the well worn picture book from the bookshelf by the window and passed it to his daughter, smiling as Rachel settled back with the book, listening to Shelby read.

"Momma" Rachel interrupted part way through the story.

"Yes Sweet Girl?"

"Soon?" it was the same question she'd asked during her story in the hotel when Shelby had said goodbye.

"Soon" Shelby promised.

"Okay" Rachel whispered, allowing her Momma to go back to her story. "Jus' one more?" she asked after Shelby told her she loved her to the moon and back, Rachel's voice giving away the fact that she was well on her way to sleep.

"Is that okay?" Shelby asked, not sure if Hiram wanted Rachel to go to sleep.

"Of course" he gently stroked Rachel's hair from her face, "do you want to pick the story Sunshine or do you want Mommy to pick?"

Rachel yawned again, rubbing at her eyes and reaching for Shelby's tank top as she murmured, "Momma."

Shelby chose a story and Hiram held the book so Rachel could see it, "she's gone" he said quietly before Shelby was even four pages into the story. "Just give me a minute." Shelby stayed on the phone, feeling like she was intruding as she heard Hiram whisper, "Goodnight Sunshine, I love you, and Mommy and Papa love you too." She heard the rustle as he moved the books from the side of the bed and the click of him turning on her nightlight before she heard him pull the door closed, "you've made her entire week" Hiram told Shelby, "thank you."

"No, thank you, it, it wasn't just Rachel who enjoyed it."

Hiram smiled sadly, "let me know if you're free any nights next week, we'll make this happen again. Maybe knowing you get to hear each other's voices a few times a week might make the distance a little easier on you both" he wanted Shelby to know that he understood the distance between them wasn't just hard on Rachel.

"Okay" Shelby smiled, "I'd like that. Thank you." Hiram and Shelby spoke for a little while longer before ending the call, Shelby letting out a sigh as she flopped back against the cushions on her bed, "one week down, four more to go" she told herself.

When Shelby had checked her phone during her lunch break on Sunday she'd had a text from Leroy asking for her address, she'd replied to him, so she wasn't sure why she was surprised by her downstairs neighbour bringing round a parcel on Wednesday evening that she'd taken in when Shelby had been at college.

She spent a while chatting to the elderly woman, who was in fact, her landlord's Mom, before taking the box upstairs and picking up a kitchen knife to slice through the tape.

"Oh" she gasped, feeling the sting of tears behind her eyelids as she saw the contents of the box, several more picture books, a page coloured in colourful scribbles, and a note.

'_Mommy, thank you for my books, and for calling me to read them, I really loved having you talk to me at bedtime. Daddy and Papa have helped me send you some of my favourite books too, maybe we could read one of those together next time. I love you, Rachel xxxx_  
_P. S. I drew a picture of us at the park together, I thought you'd like it_.'

Although the handwriting was neat, the kisses after her name were obviously done by Rachel herself and Shelby couldn't help but smile as she took the picture and went to stick it in her refrigerator, hoping that one day the metal would be full of her daughter's artwork.

She'd read to Rachel over the phone on Tuesday, and they'd arranged for her to do it again on Saturday, each time Rachel over the moon to be talking to her Momma, but always asking if she'd see her soon, Shelby couldn't blame her though, in this instance, 'soon' seemed to be taking forever to arrive.

Shelby hoped the time had passed quicker for Rachel than it had for her, she'd tried to keep herself busy, was up to date in all of her classes. She'd spent longer than usual preparing for the two auditions she'd had, and she'd picked up as many shifts as she could at the coffee shop, but still the days seemed to drag on for years, but eventually the day arrived, Shelby hauling her case into the city with her so she could head straight to the airport after her classes were over.

The extra shifts she'd worked to keep herself busy meant that she was able to take a cab to the airport, and she was sure that the drive to LaGuardia was the longest drive of her life when, in actual fact, the traffic had been unusually good and it hadn't taken much more than thirty minutes.

She'd always suffered from a little travel anxiety so she'd made sure to arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare, deciding to eat lunch once she'd checked in instead of grabbing something before she headed to the airport. She was grateful for the extra time she'd given herself when she saw the huge queue for check in, "are you checking in or just dropping off baggage?" she was asked as she headed towards the end of the queue.

"Oh, erm, checking in" Shelby pulled the booking confirmation Leroy had given her from her purse, "I'm flying to Columbus" she added, not sure why she'd said that, her destination clearly printed on the paper she'd just handed to the woman.

"Oh, you're flying business class" she said with a cheerful smile, "you can check in just there" she handed the paper back to Shelby and pointed to a row of check in desks with no queue, "have a good flight."

Shelby soon found that the ticket Leroy had bought her also allowed her access to a shorter line at the security checkpoint, and a departure lounge where she was able to get lunch before her flight. She was sat in the lounge, watching planes takeoff and land when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, smiling slightly when she saw a message from Hiram, the man letting her know earlier in the week that he'd be the one meeting her at the airport. '_Have a safe flight, we can't wait to see you later RHLxxx_'

Shelby smiled, quickly typing out a response, '_Thanks, I can't wait to see you either, give Rachel a hug from me Sx_'

She spent a while longer in the lounge before deciding to take a walk, wanting to try and burn off some of the restless energy she felt building inside her, she never imagined she'd be excited about going back to Ohio, never imagined she'd have a reason to go back, but here she was, counting down the minutes until she got to see her baby again.

"Are you comfy?" Hiram asked as he made sure Rachel was strapped tightly into her car seat.

Rachel nodded and grinned up at him, "where go Dada?" she asked, swinging her little legs.

"We're going on an adventure" he told her, they'd managed to keep news of Shelby's visit a secret from the toddler and he didn't want to ruin it now, he wanted to see Rachel's reaction to seeing her Mommy in the airport. "But we've got a long drive Sunshine, so if you want to take a nap you can."

Rachel shook her head as Hiram got into the drivers seat, checking to make sure Shelby hadn't messaged him again before setting his phone down in the hands free cradle and opening the map to direct him to the airport. "I no nap" she said decisively , I 'venture too."

"Okay" Hiram chuckled as he pulled off the driveway, "let's go on an adventure then!"

"Dada" Rachel spoke up a few minutes later.

"Yes Sunshine."

"What's a 'venture?"


	5. Chapter 5

Rachel hated adventures. Daddy had told her they were fun and exciting but he was wrong. Adventures were boring. And disappointing. She was at the place where all the airplanes were but Daddy had said they weren't getting on one and she didn't know why, there were millions of airplanes outside, one of them had to be going to her Mommy's house and she couldn't understand why she wasn't allowed to get on it. Mommy, Daddy and Papa had told her she could see Mommy again 'soon' and it had to be 'soon' now, she'd waited ages for it to be soon, and she didn't want to wait any longer. Her Daddy had let her help him choose some pretty flowers though which had been fun, but it hadn't taken very long and he hadn't told her why he wanted them, he was just stood holding them and being boring.

"Dada" Rachel sighed and tugged on his hand, "go now" she was bored and sad that she wasn't going to her Mommy's house and she wanted to go home.

"We won't be long Sunshine, then we can go, I promise" he'd had a text from Shelby just a few minutes ago, letting him know she was waiting for her case, so he hoped she wouldn't be long.

"No" Rachel pouted, "go now!"

"Rachel" Hiram said softly, trying to hide his smile as he saw a familiar face in the crowd, filming the interaction on his phone to show Leroy later, "why don't you go give these to Mommy?" he asked as he handed her the bouquet of flowers he'd been holding, "and then we can go."

Rachel frowned as she took the flowers, "no" she stomped her foot, "you say no go Momma" she began to get upset, her Daddy had told her when they'd arrived that they weren't going to Mommy's house, so how could she give her the pretty flowers if she wasn't allowed to go and see her.

"We're not going to Mommy" Hiram agreed, "but look".

"Hi Sweet Girl" Rachel's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock as she tuned tolookin the direction Hiram was pointing and saw her Mommy just a few steps away from her.

"Momma" she gasped, throwing herself into Shelby's arms, clinging tightly to her as she began to cry. Shelby didn't mind though, she easily lifted the girl to her hip, kissing her head and hugging her tightly to try and calm her down, oblivious to the fact that Hiram was filming them and several passers by were smiling at the reunion, "you here Momma" Rachel finally whispered.

"I am Darling I am" she wiped at Rachel's tears as the toddler settled slightly.

"Dada say we no go you." Rachel pouted.

Shelby smiled and brushed Rachel's bangs from her face before kissing her forehead, "he's right, you're not going to me, because I've come to you." Shelby smiled as Hiram pecked her cheek and took her luggage, the man not wanting to interrupt too much.

"Oh" Rachel gasped, suddenly remembering, "dees yours" she said as she held out the flowers, now a little worse for wear after being flung against Shelby's back when Rachel had greeted her.

Shelby smiled and shifted her hold on her daughter so she could take the flowers, "they're beautiful, thank you."

Rachel chatted happily to Shelby as they followed Hiram out to the car, the toddler felt like it had been decades since she'd first met her Momma, and the countless phonecalls didn't count, she needed to tell her everything, and Shelby was only too happy to listen.

"No" Rachel clung tighter to Shelby when she realised her Daddy was trying to take her, "no! Momma! Want Momma!"

"Rachel" Shelby said softly, "Daddy's just going to put you in the car, that's all, I'm coming with you."

"P'omise?" Rachel's voice quivered and tears formed in her eyes at the thought of her Mommy leaving already.

Shelby nodded and wiped at Rachel's eyes with her sleeve, "I promise" she nodded as she handed Rachel to Hiram so he could strap her into her car seat.

Hiram made sure Rachel was fastened in before closing the door and smiling to Shelby, "hi" he laughed, finally able to greet her.

"Hi" Shelby chuckled, accepting the hug Hiram offered her.

"It's good to see you again, but you'd better get in that car before Rachel has a breakdown."

"It's good to see you too" Shelby smiled before asking, "am I okay to get in the back with her?"

"Of course" Hiram nodded, "I don't think she'd let you sit anywhere else, we're going to pick Leroy up on the way back and then go get dinner somewhere, is that okay with you?"

Shelby nodded as she got into the car, "sounds great, thanks."

"Momma" Rachel reached out to Shelby as soon as she got into the car.

"Hey" Shelby stroked Rachel's cheek, "it's okay, just give me one minute" She said, carefully laying her flowers in the space beneath Rachel's feet and fastening her seatbelt before reaching out and taking hold of Rachel's hand, "okay?" she asked softly.

Rachel nodded and sniffed quietly, she wasn't even sure why she was upset, she wanted to be happy that her Momma was here but she couldn't stop herself crying. "I think she's t-i-r-e-d" Hiram said as he started the engine, "we had to leave at her usual naptime and she fought it on the way here."

"You should have let me get the bus to Lima" Shelby told him as she reached over to stroke Rachel's cheek with her free hand, "you didn't need to come pick me up."

"Nonsense" Hiram shook his head, "she'll fall asleep soon, I didn't tell her where we were going on the way here, I think she was too scared of missing something to sleep, she'll be out soon and when she wakes up she'll be as right as rain."

"Okay" Shelby nodded, trusting Hiram knew what was best for Rachel.

"Momma" Rachel sniffled as she failed to hold back a yawn.

"I'm here Darling."

"Stowy?" It had become a routine now,, every Sunday Shelby would text Hiram or Leroy her schedule for the week, and they'd arrange at least two nights during the week where one of them would call Shelby as they put Rachel to bed, putting the phone on speaker so Rachel could listen to Shelby tell her a bedtime story, or, more usually, three or four bedtime stories.

"Okay" Shelby saw Hiram's smile through the rear view mirror but focused on Rachel, the girl's eyelids already beginning to droop, "once upon a time, there was a princess…"

"P'incey Way?" Rachel interrupted.

"Princess Rachel, that's right" Shelby smiled, "and she lived in a big big castle in the sky with her Momma, her Daddy, her Papa and her best friend, Benny the bunny…"

Hiram couldn't wipe the smile from his face, Shelby was still so young but she'd fallen so easily into the role of Rachel's Momma, and Rachel adored her, they'd only physically spent one weekend together, but it was almost like they'd never been apart. The story about Princess Rachel was one he'd heard several times, each story slightly different, always a different adventure, but always about a happy little girl with a floppy eared sidekick and three parents who loved her more than anything.

"Has she gone?" he asked when he realised Shelby had ended the story before announcing that everyone lived happily ever after.

"Yeah" Shelby smiled, managing to work her hand free from Rachel's grip, "she has."

"Good, hopefully she'll sleep til we get to the restaurant and not be a grumpy pants when she wakes" he chuckled.

Shelby and Hiram chatted for a while, Shelby telling him about her classes and the auditions she'd been to, Hiram telling her about the things Rachel had done in the five weeks since Shelby had last seen her, but eventually, Shelby fell asleep too, her head against the side of Rachel's car seat, her hand gently resting on the girl's stomach.

It was Shelby who woke first, only sleeping for about half an hour, "sorry" she yawned, stretching slightly as she woke.

"It's okay" Hiram laughed, "but you could just have told me I was boring you" he teased.

Rachel woke as they sat in the parking lot at the hospital waiting for Leroy to come out, "hello Sleepyhead" Shelby smiled as she saw Rachel stir.

"Momma" Rachel smiled, "you here" she let out a yawn.

"I am" Shelby brushed Rachel's hair back from her face, "we're just waiting for Papa and then we're going for dinner."

"No" Rachel frowned, "no Papa, jus' Momma."

"Hey" Shelby stroked Rachel's cheek, "we're all going to go for dinner together, Daddy and Papa are hungry too."

"No" Rachel sobbed, unable to express what she really wanted to say, she was still tired and she didn't want to be strapped into her car seat anymore, she wanted to cuddle her Momma and play with her, and she needed to pee but all she could feel was a ball of emotion that she couldn't vocalise in the pit of her stomach.

"Yes Rachel, we're all going for dinner together, but I'm sure Daddy and Papa will let you sit next to me."

"Mommy's right Rachel" Hiram had been happy to let Shelby deal with their cranky daughter, "we're all going to sit together but Mommy can sit with you."

Rachel sobbed again, finally managing to choke out, "need potty."

"Do you want to take her?" Hiram asked, "if you go through the door there" he pointed to the hospital building, "you'll see a cafe, the toilets are just down the corridor to the left of it." It wasn't the first time Rachel had needed the toilet while they'd been waiting for Leroy to finish his shift.

"Okay" Shelby unbuckled Rachel from her seat, "thanks."

Rachel wrapped her legs tightly around Shelby's waist, her arms around her neck, burying her face in the crook of Shelby's neck as she sobbed noisily. She wanted to stop crying, wanted to be happy that her Mommy was here. She liked her Mommy, she smelled good and she was happy and kind, and she was holding Rachel so closely, hugging her tightly, but Rachel was scared. She was tired and cranky and a little overwhelmed by the fact her Mommy was with her but she didn't know how to deal with those emotions and she was scared that her Mommy would think she was bad and leave her.

"No go" Rachel whimpered, still crying as Shelby helped her use the toilet.

"Oh Darling" Shelby kissed Rachel's hair as she led her over to the sinks to wash her hands, "I've only just got here, I'm not going anywhere."

"I cwy" Rachel whispered, reaching up as she sobbed, wanting Shelby to hold her.

Shelby obliged, lifting Rachel to her hip and, deciding to take a minute, sat down on a bench, cradling Rachel in her arms, "are you sad?" she asked as Rachel nuzzled into her, clutching at her shirt.

"I no no" Rachel wasn't sad, she just didn't know how to explain what she was feeling and that frustrated her.

"Okay" Shelby rocked Rachel, "you're just feeling a lot of things huh?" Rachel nodded, beginning to calm slightly in Shelby's arms, "that's okay Sweet Girl" Shelby reassured her, "and it's okay to cry too if you want to."

"I no want to" Rachel's breath hitched as she tried to calm herself down.

"Do you want to go out for dinner?" Shelby asked, "or do you want me to ask Daddy and Papa if we can just go home and cuddle?"

"Jus' you" Rachel whispered.

Shelby kissed Rachel's hair as she stood with the, now slightly calmer, toddler in her arms, completely unaware that Leroy had seen them both on his way out of the hospital, as she headed back to the car, "okay, let's go and talk to Daddy."

"Talk to Daddy about what?" Leroy asked with a smile as Shelby walked past him.

"Leroy!" Shelby smiled, letting him embrace her in a warm hug, "sorry, I didn't see you."

"It's okay" he began to walk alongside them, "you look like you had your hands full, how are you doing Sunshine?" he asked his daughter, "have you had a good day?"

"No" Rachel pouted, "I cwy".

"I think she's feeling a little overwhelmed today" Shelby told Leroy, "I wondered if we could take a raincheck on dinner and just grab a takeout or something."

"Of course" Leroy opened the car door for Shelby to sit Rachel in her car seat, Shelby stepping back so Leroy could fasten her in, "if I'm honest, I've had a long day and watching a movie at home with a pizza sounds a lot more appealing to me than going out for dinner but I didn't want to seem rude."

"I wouldn't think you were rude at all" Shelby said as she joined Rachel in the back of the car, taking hold of her hand and smiling when she saw the toddler didn't seem as distressed any more.

"Is someone going to tell me what's going on?" Hiram asked with a smile after kissing his husband.

"No dinner." Rachel said firmly, "go home now."

"Rachel and I would both like to take a raincheck on dinner" Leroy explained, "and I think we'd also like to grab a pizza on the way home."

Hiram nodded, he wasn't sure what had happened between Shelby, Leroy and Rachel, but his daughter seemed to have backed away from the tantrum he'd been almost certain she'd have, and he wasn't going to complain at that. "Of course" he nodded, "do you want to order pizza to be delivered?" he asked Leroy, "if you call them now we won't have to wait as long once we're home."

"I'll take your bags up to your room" Leroy told Shelby as Hiram pulled onto their driveway, "I don't think either of us will be allowed to get her out of the car" he chuckled.

"Why don't you take her upstairs?" Hiram suggested as Shelby lifted Rachel from the car, "there are some pyjamas on her bed, she can get comfy while we wait for the pizza."

"Okay" Shelby nodded, sitting Rachel on the bottom step to take off her shoes, "I'm not going anywhere" she promised softly when Rachel whimpered at being put down, "we just need to take off our shoes and jackets before we go upstairs" she explained.

Hiram smiled as he watched, Leroy carefully stepping past his daughter as he came back downstairs, "I'm sure you remember where everything is" Hiram told Shelby as she picked Rachel up again, "but just yell if you need anything."

"I will Shelby nodded as she took Rachel upstairs," thank you."

"Well" Hiram smiled as he walked into the kitchen with Leroy to make tea for them all, "it seems even cranky, clingy Rachel doesn't faze Mommy."

"I wish you could have seen them in the hospital Hir" Leroy smiled, "I don't know what she said, but Rachel was obviously not happy and Shelby, she was so calm and patient with her, it was like she knew exactly what Rachel needed, I mean it's one thing parenting a happy cheerful toddler who just wants to play, it's completely different to have to try and talk Rachel down from the edge of a meltdown but she was amazing with her."

"Rachel's a lucky girl."

"Leroy nodded as he took mugs from the cupboard, "she certainly is."

Shelby meanwhile headed straight for Rachel's bedroom, the room had barely changed since Shelby had helped the two men decorate it during her pregnancy, the only differences being a low toddler bed standing in the place where the crib had once been and an abundance of toys in the room. She helped Rachel change into her pyjamas and kissed her hair, "is that better?" Shelby asked, wiping at Rachel's eyes after the girl had got a little upset again.

Rachel nodded and sniffled before pointing to the rocking chair in the corner of the room, "Momma?" she tugged gently on her hand, "p'ease?" she liked being rocked in the chair, liked how whoever rocked with her held her close, sometimes wrapped her up in a blanket, making her feel safe, and she wanted that with her Mommy.

"Of course" Shelby nodded, "Why don't you come with me while I change into my pyjamas too, then we can cuddle until the pizza gets here."

"Kay" Rachel took Shelby's hand, allowed her Mommy to sit her on the guest bed as she opened her case and pushed some clothes into the drawers of the dresser, she'd sort them out properly later. Rachel watched as Shelby changed into her pyjamas, "Momma" she was silent until she saw Shelby take off her tshirt.

"Yes baby?"

Rachel reached out with her tiny hands, "I nee' dat."

Shelby smiled, "okay" she handed it over without question, her heart swelling as Rachel buried her face into the tshirt.

"Ta Momma" Rachel whispered as she looked up at Shelby, holding the fabric to her cheek.

"You are very welcome" Shelby smiled as she finished changing and pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail. "Okay sweet girl" Shelby lifted Rachel into her arms and kissed her forehead, "let's snuggle for a while.

Rachel nuzzled into Shelby for a moment before frowning and wriggling to be put down, "wait" she told Shelby as she raced into, what Shelby knew to be, Hiram and Leroy's room, coming back a moment later clutching her rabbit, "kay" Rachel reached out to Shelby again, "go now." Shelby took Rachel back into the nursery and sat down in the rocking chair, "I do" Rachel toddled over to her bed before Shelby had chance to lift her into her arms. She pulled back the duvet and reached under her pillow, pulling out the black tanktop Shelby had given her in New York, replacing it with the blue tshirt she'd just been given, "here Momma" Rachel gave Shelby the top and climbed up into her lap, "you have now."

"Thank you" Shelby smiled, dropping it onto the floor as she settled in the chair with Rachel in her arms, "do you want this?" she asked, gesturing to the blanket on the back of the chair. Rachel nodded and Shelby tucked her up, beginning to hum quietly as she rocked with Rachel, guessing that the toddler might just need a quiet few minutes to help her calm down.

By the time Leroy came up to tell them the pizza was ready, Shelby and Rachel were chatting quietly as they rocked, Rachel still tucked into Shelby's chest as she held Benny close, gently stroking his ear over her cheek, but now a lot calmer than she had been before. "Hey" he spoke softly at a break in their conversation, not wanting to disturb them, "the pizza's here."

"Thanks" Shelby smiled before asking Rachel, "can you go downstairs with Papa while I use the bathroom? I'll be down in a minute."

Feeling a little better after cuddling with her Mommy for a while, Rachel nodded and held out her arms to Leroy, "see soon" she mumbled, leaving the bunny and blanket on Shelby's lap as she let her Papa carry her downstairs.

"You will" Shelby promised, folding the blanket and setting it back on the back of the rocking chair and putting Rachel's bunny on her bed, throwing her tank top into her empty case before using the bathroom and heading downstairs.

"Momma" Rachel smiled when she saw Shelby, the girl sat on the couch, a pink plastic plate with a slice of pepperoni pizza on her lap. "Sit here?" she pointed to the space beside her.

"Sure" Shelby smiled as she sat beside Rachel, thanking Leroy as he handed her a plate and told her to help herself to the two pizzas sat on the coffee table.

"You like like me?" Rachel asked, pointing to her own pizza.

"I do" Shelby picked up a slice of each pizza, "are you going to eat it up?"

Rachel nodded and grinned up at Shelby, "I eat it all Momma" she nodded.

"Someone seems to have cheered up a bit" Hiram chuckled.

"Mommy spent some time in the rocking chair with a baby burrito" Leroy told him, referring to how Rachel had been bundled up in Shelby's lap when he'd gone upstairs.

Hiram nodded, "ah, that explains it then, rocking her always calms her down, and a little quiet time is never a bad thing."

"I think I might have to start sending you my dirty laundry" Shelby said as she took a bite of her pizza, "I barely had chance to take my tshirt off before she told me she needed it."

"Oh it's the cutest thing" Hiram smiled, Leroy nodding in agreement. "She gets it out every night when we take her to bed and every morning she has to be the one to tuck it back under her pillow, and if she goes up in the daytime she always checks its still there."

Shelby felt tears prick at her eyes, "I hope it helped her a little."

"I think it helped more than a little" Leroy told her, "it's been like having a little piece of you here, when she's cuddling your top and you're reading her a story, it'll be like having you here. She loves you Shelby, and you leaving her your clothes, ringing her to say goodnight, sending her books you can read together, all that does is remind her that you love her too."

Rachel was content to fill the silence as they ate, the toddler chatting away happily as she ate her own pizza, wanting to share every tiny aspect of her life with her Mommy. She'd missed her so much and she was so excited that she was here now and she wanted to tell her everything.

"Why don't we go and clean your teeth Rachel and wash your face?" Hiram suggested a while later, it hadn't surprised anyone that she'd climbed straight onto Shelby's lap once they'd finished eating and was already beginning to fall asleep.

"No" Rachel whimpered, clutching at Shelby's arms, "no bedtime, p'ease Dada, p'ease."

"You don't have to go to bed, I just want you to clean your teeth, wash your face and go potty so you don't have to do it later, we can come back downstairs when we're done."

The adults had to fight back laughter at the sceptical look on the toddler's face, Rachel not convinced her Daddy wouldn't trick her into getting into bed when she just wanted her Mommy to hold her for a while, "Momma do it?"

"You want Mommy to help you in the bathroom?" Rachel nodded, "is that okay?" he asked Shelby.

"Sure" she nodded, "if you don't mind."

"Of course not, you know where the bathroom is, and Rachel knows where all her things are, we don't mind you helping her at all."

Shelby helped Rachel clean her teeth and use the bathroom, noticing how Rachel's eyes followed her round the room, almost as if she was making sure she didn't leave. "Okay" Shelby lifted Rachel to sit on the side of the sink to wash her hands before wetting a washcloth, "let's get that pizza off your face shall we?"

Rachel nodded sleepily, "then we cuddle?"

"Yeah" Shelby smiled as she wiped Rachel's face, "then we can go downstairs and cuddle.

"Papa" Rachel yawned as she settled herself on Shelby's lap once they were back downstairs, "I s'eep Momma bed?"

Leroy nodded, "but only if it's okay with Momma."

Rachel turned to look up at Shelby, "p'ease Momma?" she asked with a sweet smile.

"How could I say no when you've asked so nicely?" Shelby gently stroked Rachel's cheek, "of course you can."

Rachel smiled happily and settled back down, nuzzling against Shelby's chest as she got comfortable, content to just be held. Hiram and Leroy asked about Shelby's classes, about her job and auditions, the two men genuinely happy that the mother of their daughter was living her dreams. Even before she'd left for New York they'd always supported her and encouraged her, they'd helped her with her college application, helped her prepare for her audition and they'd celebrated with her when she'd received her acceptance letter from Tisch, her first choice of college.

"Does she need to go to bed?" Shelby asked when she realised Rachel was falling asleep on her lap, Rachel's head was against Shelby's chest, her knees either side of Shelby's thighs, Shelby's top clenched in her fist, her eyes slowly closing only to snap open again almost instantly as Shelby gently rubbed and patted her back.

"Ordinarily we'd say yes" Leroy told her, "but today isn't an ordinary day, and if it's a choice between letting her fall asleep in your arms or risking her getting upset if you try and put her to bed and then walk away, I think she's fine where she is, as long as you're okay with her."

"Of course I am" Shelby kissed Rachel's hair, "thank you."

"You're her Mom Shelby" Leroy told her, "you don't need to thank us for letting you love her."


	6. Chapter 6

I have quite a few ideas for things Rachel and Shelby are going to get up to on their week together, but if there's anything you'd like to see, feel free to let me know!

* * *

"Momma" Rachel whined quietly, waking slightly as Shelby stood from the couch, it was almost 11pm and, after watching a movie with Hiram and Leroy, Shelby had decided to head to bed.

"I've got you" Shelby gently rocked Rachel, "I'm just taking you to bed, it's okay."

"No" Rachel clung tighter to Shelby, "no bedtime."

"I'm coming to bed too Sweet Girl, I'm not leaving you, it's okay." She said goodnight to Hiram and Leroy, the two men kissing Rachel goodnight before Shelby carried Rachel upstairs for the second time that day, the way Rachel clung to her telling her the girl wasn't asleep anymore, "I need to use the bathroom and get Benny for you" Shelby said softly, kissing Rachel's forehead as she laid her in the bed, "I'm coming straight back I promise."

"No Momma" Rachel whispered, "no go."

"I'll be straight back Rachel, and then we can sleep okay, I promise I'm coming right back. I just need to clean my teeth and get Benny."

Rachel nodded, fighting to keep her eyes open, "'kay" she mumbled, as much as she didn't want her Mommy to leave her, she wanted her bunny and Mommy said she was going to get him for her.

Shelby was as quick as she could as she used the bathroom and got Benny from Rachel's room, "oh baby" she smiled when she saw Rachel was sat up in bed watching the door, "I told you I wouldn't be long."

"I want you" Rachel whimpered, rubbing tiredly at her eyes.

"I know" Shelby handed over Benny and laid down in bed, encouraging Rachel to lay with her, remembering to leave the sidelight on for the toddler, "and you've got me Darling, but it's time to go to sleep now."

"You too?"

"Yeah" Shelby kissed Rachel's hair, "me too."

"'Kay" Rachel shuffled down under the covers, clutching her bunny to her chest as she nuzzled into Shelby, "s'eet d'eams Momma. Lub you."

Shelby smiled and kissed Rachel's hair, "sweet dreams Rachel, I love you too."

Content that her Mommy wasn't going anywhere, Rachel quickly fell back to sleep, Benny clutched to her chest with one hand, her other arm draped across Shelby's stomach, almost as if she wanted to be sure her Mommy was still there.

Shelby yawned, she didn't know why but traveling always made her tired, but she couldn't fall asleep, not yet, she found herself watching her daughter, still unable to believe that her baby was sleeping in her arms. She found herself wanting to memorise every inch of the young girl's face, from her insanely long eyelashes to her plump lips slightly parted in sleep. Rachel was the most beautiful, most perfect person Shelby had ever seen, and Shelby couldn't believe she was hers. She'd always intended to find her daughter, or at least Hiram and Leroy, when she turned 18, she'd expected to meet a woman, an adult with morals and opinions, with dreams and ambitions, but this, meeting Rachel as a toddler, being able to be a part of her life as she grew, as she developed those opinions and dreams, it was more than Shelby could ever have wished for.

Eventually, the need for sleep won out and, after giving her daughter one final kiss goodnight, Shelby slowly joined the girl in dreamland.

"Are you okay?" Shelby mumbled, barely awake as she felt Rachel shift in the bed beside her, a quick glance at the clock by the bed telling her it was almost 3.30.

"I wanna see" Rachel told her as she sat up in the bed.

Shelby rolled onto her side to face her daughter, "what do you want to see Sweet Girl?" she forced her eyes open and reached out to gently stroke Rachel's cheek.

"I wanna see you here." Rachel had had a bad dream, that her Mommy had gone away again already, and she needed to reassure herself that it hadn't been real. She didn't mean to wake her Mommy, she just wanted to check she was there, "sowwy Momma" she didn't want her to be angry.

"Well here I am" Shelby smiled, "and you don't need to be sorry, but it's time to sleep now. Do you need the bathroom before we go back to sleep?"

"Yeah" Rachel nodded and yawned loudly, she wasn't sure she did need to use the bathroom but she didn't want to have an accident when she was sharing her Mommy's bed, "you come too?"

Shelby carried Rachel back to bed once she'd used the bathroom, and as she laid down, she kept Rachel against her chest, letting the toddler sleep on her like she had in New York. "Is that okay?" Shelby asked as Rachel made herself comfortable and reached out to clutch at Benny's ear, "I can't go anywhere if you're sleeping on me can I?"

Rachel shook her head and stroked Benny's ear against her cheek as she nuzzled into Shelby, deciding that this was one of her most favourite places to sleep, along with her Daddy and Papa's arms too. She knew her Mommy would keep her safe, that the arms around her middle would stop the monsters getting her as she slept, and she even liked how, if she turned her head a little, she could feel her Mommy's hair tickling her face. "Lub you Momma" she whispered.

"I love you too Sweet Girl" Shelby kissed Rachel's hair, "to the moon and back."

Hiram poked his head through the partially open guest room door the next morning, Rachel was usually beginning to wake right about now and, if she was awake, he was going to take her downstairs with him so she didn't disturb Shelby, "oh" he couldn't hold back his reaction as he saw them, Shelby laid on her back in the middle of the bed, Rachel laying chest to chest with her Mommy, one hand clutching Benny's ear, the other curled around the strap of Shelby's tank top, one of Shelby's arms around Rachel's waist, the other across her thighs as they both slept peacefully, Rachel's cheek against Shelby's neck.

"What are you…" Leroy wasn't sure why he'd found his husband in the doorway of the guestroom. He was cut off when Hiram span to face him, index finger on his lips as he stepped back and gestured for Leroy to take a look.

"Oh" Leroy smiled, "look at them."

"I know" Hiram smiled as he walked downstairs with his husband, "and Rachel hasn't been awake since the crack of dawn which is a first."

"She's making the most of being able to snuggle her Mommy."

"I don't blame her, she's got a lot of snuggling to catch up on."

"She certainly has" Leroy smiled as he took Hiram's hand, "come on, let's go have breakfast together and make the most of Rachel sleeping in."

Rachel smiled happily when she woke, her Mommy was still here, even though she'd been sad and angry the day before, her Mommy had just held her and kissed her and she'd cuddled her all night too.

"Good Morning" Shelby yawned as she felt Rachel begin to wake, "are you okay?"

"I 'kay Momma" Rachel nodded.

"Good" Shelby gently stroked Rachel's back, smiling as she saw the toddler rub clumsily at her eyes, "do you want to stay here for a little bit before we get up?"

"Yeah" Rachel nodded, "with you."

"I'm not going anywhere Sweet Girl, we can stay and cuddle for as long as you like."

Rachel nodded again, "til we hung'y."

"Okay" Shelby kissed Rachel's hair, "let's cuddle until we're hungry then."

They spent almost half an hour cuddled together before Rachel announced that she was ready for breakfast, and the pair walked downstairs hand in hand, Rachel leading Shelby straight to the kitchen. "Look" she beamed when she saw Hiram and Leroy, "Momma here."

"I can see that" Hiram chuckled, "did you sleep well?" he asked, his question aimed mainly at Shelby, but it was Rachel who answered for him.

"I waked up but Momma no mad."

"We're never mad if you wake up Sunshine" Hiram told her before looking to Shelby, "was she okay? She didn't have a nightmare or anything?"

She shook her head, "she didn't say so, and she wasn't upset or anything. She said she wanted to see if I was there. I told her I was, then we went to the bathroom and she fell pretty much straight back to sleep once we got back in bed."

"Good" Hiram smiled, "she's had a few nightmares recently, we don't know if something's causing them or if it's just her overactive imagination, but you'd definitely have known if she'd had one" he told Shelby before asking Rachel, "do you want some toast and eggs for breakfast or cereal?"

Rachel thought for a moment, brow furrowing as she tapped her chin, "eggys p'ease Dadda. Momma too?"

"If Mommy wants eggs, she can have eggs" Hiram nodded.

"That would be great thanks, is there anything I can do to help?"

Hiram shook his head and gestured to the table, "you just sit down with your baby" he smiled, watching as Shelby smiled herself and took Rachel over to sit at the table, Rachel chatting away happily, in a much better mood than she had been the night before.

Rachel stayed on Shelby's lap as Hiram made them both breakfast, only allowing her Momma to sit her in the booster seat at the table once he placed the food on the table, "you like?" Rachel asked as she scooped scrambled eggs into a plastic spoon.

"I do" Shelby smiled, taking a bite of toast, "do you?"

Rachel nodded, copying Shelby and eating her own toast, "yummy!"

"Do you have any plans for today?" Hiram asked as he joined Shelby and Rachel at the table, Leroy washing the pan Hiram had used for the eggs.

Shelby shook her head, "no, not really, do you have any plans? Is there anything you usually do at the weekend?"

"I usually go grocery shopping" Hiram told Shelby, "you're welcome to join me, but I can take Leroy if you want to spend some time with Rachel."

"I don't mind" Shelby said honestly.

"You stay?" Rachel asked, "we play?"

Shelby chuckled and looked up at Hiram, "it looks like that's my decision made for me."

"We've told Rachel's daycare that she won't be in this week" Hiram told her, "is that okay?"

"Of course, I…"

"I'll be off on Thursday, I only work four days a week" Hiram told her, "we thought you'd like some time alone with Rachel, but if you want me to take some time off, I can work from home."

Shelby's face lit up, "I, you'd let me watch her all week?"

"Of course" Hiram smiled, "you're her Mommy Shelby."

"I want stay you" Rachel insisted, making the adults laugh.

"I know you do" Shelby smiled, "and I'm sure we'll find lots of fun things to do while Daddy and Papa are at work."

"We've made an appointment to see our lawyer while you're here" Leroy told her as he came over to the table too, "we'd like you to come with us."

"Your… " Shelby didn't understand.

"We want to make sure the contract is legally void and replace it with one that gives you the same rights as Hiram and I, and we both want to change our wills to state that if, God forbid, we're both unable to care for Rachel for whatever reason, you're the one we want her to go to."

Shelby smiled slightly, "that…I…" she shook her head, lost for words as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Papa" Rachel scowled at him as she scrambled onto Shelby's lap, wrapping her arms around her Mommy's neck, "no make my Momma cwy."

"I'm okay" Shelby hugged Rachel, "it's not Papa's fault."

"You're her Mom Shelby, we'll keep saying it until you believe it, we want you to be a part of her life, we have absolutely no intention of taking her from you again" Leroy gently squeezed Shelby's shoulder.

She smiled up at him and put her hand on his, "thank you" she said sincerely, "that… it means a lot."

"It's nothing that we shouldn't have done three years ago" Leroy told her.

"I'm going to have a quick shower and get dressed" Shelby said once they'd finished eating, "if you that's okay?" she looked up at Hiram and Leroy.

"You don't have to ask us if you can shower Shelby. While you're here, this is your home. You can do whatever you want."

"Me too?" Rachel looked up at her Mommy hopefully.

"You want to shower with me?" Shelby asked.

Rachel nodded, "p'ease Momma."

"Is that okay?" Shelby looked to Hiram.

"Of course" Hiram nodded as he put their plates in the dishwasher, "is there anything you want us to pick up for you from the store?"

Shelby shook her head, "you don't have to get me anything, I can…" she rolled her eyes when she saw the look Hiram was giving her, "just don't feel like you need to do or get anything special on my behalf."

"I'm promising nothing" Hiram teased as Rachel reached out, Shelby not hesitating before lifting her from her booster seat and sitting the girl on her lap, Rachel happy just to be in her Mom's arms.

Shelby rolled her eyes again, "you know I'll eat anything, that wasn't just a pregnancy thing, I'm not fussy."

"So bacon and shellfish then?"

"Okay, anything but that" Shelby laughed as she stood with Rachel in her arms, "but seriously, I can sort myself out and…"

"Nonsense." Hiram smiled as he watched Rachel wrap her legs around Shelby's waist, "and before you say anything, it's no trouble. Now you enjoy your shower and we'll see you when we get back."

Shelby wasn't at all surprised when Rachel refused to let her take the girl's sweet, fruity scented shampoo and shower gel into the shower with them, "I need do same like you" she insisted, "p'ease? We be same."

"You want to use my soap and shampoo?" Shelby asked, getting a nod in response and picking up her wash bag, "come on then Sweet Girl. Let's shower."

As she had in New York, Shelby blow dried Rachel's hair as well as her own, pulling on some clothes before helping Rachel get changed into a tshirt dress and some leggings, wanting her to be comfortable. "Momma" Rachel held out her arms once she was dressed, wanting to be held.

Shelby was only too happy to oblige, lifting Rachel to her hip and kissing her hair, "what do you want to do now Sweet Girl?" she asked.

Rachel shrugged, "I jus' wan' you Momma"

"You've got me Baby, do you want to read or play or watch a movie?" she saw Rachel look hopefully at the rocking chair, "do you just want to cuddle for a little bit?"

"Yeah" Rachel nodded "p'ease Momma, jus' me an' you."

"Okay" Shelby nodded, "do you want Benny?" Rachel shook her head and Shelby carried her over to the rocking chair, making Rachel comfortable in her lap, "blanket?" she tucked the soft fabric around them both when she got a nod from the toddler and began to sing softly as she rocked them slowly.

Rachel let out a happy sigh as she settled down, her head on Shelby's chest, her little hand slipping under Shelby's top, gently stroking the soft skin of her Mommy's stomach. She didn't know why she wanted to snuggle, she usually only wanted to be held and rocked when she was sleepy or sad and she wasn't either of those things, she just wanted her Mommy to hold her, maybe they could play later, but for now she just wanted to be held.

By the time Hiram and Leroy came back from the store, Rachel had relaxed a little and, although she was still on Shelby's lap, they were now sat on her bedroom floor, playing with a set of plastic farm animals. Hiram had gone to check they were both okay and to ask if Rachel wanted a snack but he decided that could wait as he watched his daughter and her mother for a minute.

"Do dis one Momma" Rachel grinned as she picked up a plastic sheep, giggling when Shelby made a sheep noise, "now dis one" Rachel picked up a horse, Shelby obliging and neighing at her daughter who once again giggled happily.

"It's your turn" Shelby picked up a figure Hiram couldn't see, the man's smile growing as Rachel began barking like a dog, "clever girl" Shelby praised, kissing Rachel's nose as the girl tipped her head back to look up at her Mommy.

"Are you two having fun?" Hiram finally made his presence known.

"We p'ay Dadda" Rachel beamed, "Momma know all the mamymals."

"Mommy knows all the animals does she?" Hiram smiled as she walked over and sat on the edge of Rachel's low bed, "that's because she's big and clever" he winked playfully at Shelby.

"Yeah" Rachel beamed, sitting a little straighter in Shelby's lap, "like me!"

"That's right Sunshine" Hiram returned Rachel's smile, "you're just like Mummy." He looked to Shelby as Rachel went back to playing with the animals scattered on the floor in front of her, "this might be a strange question" he told her, "but I don't suppose you bought any swimwear with you?"

Shelby shook her head, "I didn't think I'd need any. Why?"

"There's a sort of family fun session at the pool on a Sunday morning, they have inflatables and toys and things, we take Rachel sometimes and she loves it, we thought maybe we could all go tomorrow, we should have mentioned it before you got here though."

"It's okay" Shelby smiled, "I can go to the mall after lunch and get something."

"Are you sure? We can give you some money and…"

"It's fine" Shelby shook her head, "I can afford a swimsuit. Does the bus still…"

"You can take my car" Hiram told her, "I don't need it this afternoon."

"I'll be okay on the bus."

"The mall's a fifteen minute drive from here Shelby, the bus takes at least double that. If you don't want to drive my car then Leroy or I will take you, it's no trouble."

Shelby nodded, not wanting to be away from her daughter for any longer than she had to be, "I'd appreciate that, thank you."

"It's not a problem" Hiram smiled before running his hand over Rachel's hair, "are you ready for a snack Sunshine?"

"Yeah" Rachel nodded, "berries?" Hiram looked at Rachel and raised one eyebrow, "p'ease Dadda" she added sweetly.

"Of course you can have berries, thank you for using your manners" he said as he stood up and held out his arms, lifting Rachel from Shelby's lap.

"You come too Momma?" Rachel asked Shelby, "p'ease."

"Sure, let me put these away" she gestured to the animals, "and then I'll come downstairs."

Rachel wriggled in Hiram's arms, "I h'ep you Momma" she said as she raced over, "I be fast Dada." She helped Shelby put the animals back into the plastic bucket before Rachel put the bucket back into her toybox and Shelby closed the lid, "all done" Rachel grinned, holding her arms out to Hiram again.

"Thank you for helping me" Shelby smiled as she followed them both downstairs.

"Is okay Momma" Rachel nodded, "I likes he'p."

Hiram cut up a bowl of strawberries for Rachel once they were downstairs, Shelby turning down strawberries but helping herself to an apple from the fruit bowl, "do you want to head over to the mall once we've finished here?" he asked.

Shelby nodded, "if you're sure you don't mind."

"Of course not, like I said, it's much quicker than you taking the bus and I wouldn't have offered to drive if it was going to be a problem."

"Thank you" Shelby nodded, "I'm happy to go whenever."

"Momma go?" Rachel frowned.

"Just to the mall baby, I won't be long."

"Me too?" Rachel wasn't sure she wanted her Mommy to go anywhere without her right now.

Shelby looked to Hiram and he nodded, "you can come but it will be busy, there'll be a lot of people so you'll have to sit in your stroller okay?"

Rachel nodded, "Momma do it?"

"Yeah" Hiram agreed,"Mommy can push you."

"We go now?"

"When you've finished your snack" Hiram told her, "in fact, why don't we ask Papa to come too and we can go out for lunch seeing as we didn't get dinner yesterday?"

"Yeah" Rachel nodded excitedly, going out for lunch meant she'd get ice cream, "I go Papa?" she asked.

"Finish your snack" Hiram told her, "and then you can go and find Papa."

Rachel finished her strawberries and let Hiram clean her hands and face before she raced off, "Papa, where is you?" she yelled as she ran through the house.

"How are you doing Mommy?" Hiram asked as he heard Leroy call out to let Rachel know he was doing laundry.

Shelby smiled, "I'm doing good" she nodded, "Rachel, she, she's perfect. After our shower this morning she just wanted to cuddle for a while, I just, I hope me leaving again isn't going to be too much for her."

"She probably will get upset" Hiram said honestly. "But we can arrange our next visit, or your next visit, so she knows she gets to see you again, and you can call her and read to her like you did before. We'll make this work Shelby, for both of you, we'll make this work."

"Look" Rachel grinned as she led Leroy into the kitchen, "I gots Papa."

"Good girl" Hiram chuckled, "now go find your shoes so we can go."

"Okay Dada" Rachel nodded before racing off again.

"That energy" Leroy looks to Shelby, "she gets it from you right? Because she certainly doesn't get it from either of us."

Shelby laughed, "unless you've given her a couple of strong coffees then no, that's not from me."

"I gots them" Rachel beamed as she came back with her shoes in her hands. "you do for Mama? P'ease"

"Absolutely" Shelby nodded as she lifted Rachel to sit on the table in front of her, "I'll do anything for you."

Hiram and Leroy went off on their own once they arrived at the mall, arranging to meet Shelby and Rachel at the food court in half an hour. They quickly realised however, that letting mother and daughter go off into the mall unsupervised was a bad idea when they saw Shelby walking towards them, Rachel on her hip, a stuffed bear far bigger than Rachel, maybe even as big as Shelby herself strapped into the stroller.

"What on earth?" Leroy chuckled.

"Look" Rachel beamed proudly, "Momma get me."

"I can see" Leroy rolled his eyes.

"She said please" Shelby shrugged.

"Well" Hiram laughed as he took the stroller so Shelby didn't have to struggle as she carried Rachel, "that's okay then."

They made their way into the food court, choosing an informal sit down restaurant, the server quick to bring a high chair for Rachel so she could reach the table easier, the toddler deciding she wanted to sit between Shelby and Hiram and opposite Leroy.

"I have ice c'eam?" Rachel asked sweetly once they were settled at the table.

"Yeah" Shelby smiled, "once we've had lunch I'm sure you can have some ice cream."

"No" Rachel shook her head, "jus' ice c'eam p'ease."

"You need to eat something else first Rachel" Shelby told her, opening the children's menu and showing it to her daughter, "they've got pasta or burgers or…"

"No" Rachel's mood changed in an instant as she smacked her hands against the table and pushed the menu away, "want ice c'eam. Now Momma".

Shelby glanced up at Hiram, not sure what to do, "she's looking for boundaries" he told her, "she needs to work out what you'll let her get away with."

Leroy nodded in agreement, "we can deal with her if you really want but I think it would be best for both of you if you did it".

Shelby nodded, "okay" she took a deep breath before turning back to Rachel. "We all want dessert Rachel, but we're going to eat something else first, you can either eat something else with all of us and then have ice cream, or you can sit and wait while Daddy, Papa and I eat and then you can have ice cream when we're done ."

"No! No else. Ice c'eam" Rachel wailed

"Can I take your order or do you need a few more minutes?" their server asked as she came over, slightly cautious of the tantruming toddler.

Hiram and Leroy looked to Shelby and she nodded, the two men wondering if she'd decided what to do about Rachel yet, "I'm ready" she said with a quick glance to her daughter. Hiram and Leroy placed their order first before Shelby too ordered her food, "can I get the larger portion of that please?" she asked, "and an extra plate" she gestured to Rachel.

"Of course" the server nodded, "anything else?"

"Ice c'eam!"

"Not till we've eaten Rachel" Shelby told her.

"That's everything thank you" Leroy nodded as Rachel began to scream.

"I'm going to take her outside" Shelby told Hiram and Leroy, "see if I can get her to calm down a little."

Hiram and Leroy both nodded, sharing a smile as Shelby lifted Rachel from the highchair, both men noticing how Shelby hadn't asked their permission to order for Rachel or to take her outside, she was starting to realise that she was 'allowed' to parent her child.

Shelby carried Rachel, kicking and screaming, to the outdoor dining area that was thankfully empty. She sat down on a picnic bench and sat Rachel on the table in front of her, "can you look at me Rachel?" she asked calmly.

"No!" Rachel stamped her feet against Shelby's thighs.

"Don't do that" Shelby gently took hold of Rachel's ankles, "you can be angry, you can cry and shout but you don't kick people" she told her before letting go of her legs, only to take hold of her ankles again a few minutes later when when Rachel continued to kick her. She sat in silence, giving Rachel a few minutes, but then when she heard her cries slow she asked again, "can you look at me? I want to talk to you like the big girl I know you are."

"No! I mad!" Rachel pouted, "want ice c'eam."

"I know you're mad Rachel, and that's okay, we can sit here until you're not mad anymore, and it doesn't matter how mad you get, I still love you very much." Shelby reached up and wiped at Rachel's tears with her thumbs, "and I know you want ice cream, I want ice cream too but we have to eat something else first so we can be big and strong."

"I want like you" Rachel cried.

"Okay" Shelby held Rachel's hands, "so why don't we have a minute to calm down and then when the food comes, you can share with me, is that okay?"

Rachel nodded and sniffled, "I hung'y".

"Lunch won't be long" Shelby told her before asking, "can Mommy have a hug?" as she held out her arms. Rachel nodded and wrapped her arms around Shelby, squeezing her tightly as Shelby lifted her from the table to hold her close. "It's okay" she rubbed Rachel's back as she held her close, "I've got you."

It took a few minutes but eventually Rachel calmed down enough for Shelby to carry her back into the restaurant, "hi" Leroy smiled as he met them halfway across the dining area, "I was just coming to tell you the food's here, he gently stroked Rachel's back, "are you feeling better Sunshine?"

Rachel nodded, "I have like Momma" she whispered.

"Come on then" Leroy smiled, his hand in the small of Shelby's back as they walked over to the table, "let's go and eat."


	7. Chapter 7

The chapter of Saviour I planned on posting wasn't quite working out how I planned it to, so I decided to step away from it and work on this update that's been sat at 'almost' finished for a while instead. I hope you like it.

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Nobody was surprised when Rachel fell asleep on the short drive home, still clutching her Momma's hand, the bear strapped into the back seat with mother and daughter after Rachel had refused to let Hiram and Leroy put it in the trunk.

Shelby offered to put Rachel to bed when they got home and, when she still hadn't come down twenty minutes later, Leroy went up to make sure everything was okay. He couldn't stop his smile as he reached the doorway to Rachel's room, slipping his hand into his pocket for his phone to snap a picture of mother and daughter curled tightly together in Rachel's small toddler bed, both fast asleep.

"Lee?" Hiram looked up when Leroy came back without Shelby.

"They're fine" he showed him the picture he'd taken.

"Oh" Hiram clutched dramatically at his chest, "that's adorable."

"I know, I don't think Rachel could ask for a better Mommy."

"Do you think Shelby was okay?" Hiram asked, "dealing with Rachel in the restaurant, you don't think it was too much?"

Leroy shook his head, "I think Shelby would have said if she felt overwhelmed, Rachel needs to learn boundaries with Shelby, she needs to learn that the three of us are all on the same page. We wouldn't have let Rachel just have ice cream and Rachel knows that, she's learning that Shelby won't let her either."

Shelby frowned slightly when she woke, unable to stretch the way she wanted to. It took her a minute but eventually she realised she'd fallen asleep in Rachel's bed, the toddler curled into her chest as she still slept. Luckily the bed wasn't far off the floor so Shelby was able to shuffle onto the carpet to get out of the bed without waking her daughter. "Sleep well my sweet girl" she whispered, kissing her hair and tucking the covers around her before she stood up, stretching her back until it clicked before heading downstairs.

"Nice nap?" Hiram smiled as he saw Shelby come into the living room, rubbing at her eyes.

Shelby nodded, "yeah, I didn't mean to fall asleep with her though."

"It's okay" he chuckled, "Leroy and I have lost count of the amount of times we've done that" he smiled, holding out his arms as Shelby sat down beside him, yawning and tucking her legs up underneath herself, "are you still tired?" he asked as Shelby shuffled closer.

"Yeah" she tucked herself into Hiram's side and let her head rest on his chest, "I don't like sleeping in the day, I always feel like I struggle to wake up again afterwards."

"Leroy's in the kitchen, want me to get him to make you a coffee?"

Shelby shook her head against Hiram's chest, "I'm okay, just give me a few minutes."

"Okay" Hiram chuckled before telling Shelby, "you know, Rachel likes to cuddle when she's just woken up too."

"I've noticed" Shelby smiled.

"She might only be young but she's definitely a mini you, it's amazing what DNA can do."

"She's amazing."

"Even when she's grumpy and screaming for ice cream?"

"Even then" Shelby laughed, "I can never thank you enough, not only for how you've raised but but for allowing me to..."

Hiram gently put his index finger on Shelby's lips to silence her, "she's your daughter Shelby, you do not thank us for letting you be her Mom. If anything, we should be thanking you for forgiving us for taking her away from you."

Shelby yawned again, "I knew what I agreed to, you didn't do anything I didn't agree to. You don't need to apologise."

Hiram sighed, "I think we'll have to agree to differ on that one".

Shelby sat back slightly so she could look Hiram in the eye, "I knew what I was doing Hiram, I knew what you expected of me before I was pregnant. I don't have any bad feelings about what happened, so you don't need to feel guilty or anything at all. It's happened, we can't change that, and it's okay, I'm okay."

"Rachel's lucky to have you."

"I know" Shelby joked as she laid back against Hiram's chest, "she's lucky to have you and Leroy too."

Rachel slumped down the stairs on her butt almost an hour after Shelby had woken, finding Leroy sat alone on the couch, "Hello Sunshine" he smiled, holding out his arms as Rachel padded over, dragging Benny along behind her, his ear grasped in her fist. "Have you had a good nap?"

Rachel shrugged and glanced around the room, "Momma gone?" she whispered.

"No" Leroy reassured her, "Mommy's in the kitchen with Daddy."

"Momma go soon?"

Leroy smiled sadly and kissed Rachel's hair, "she has another few days here with you."

"I want her" Rachel pouted as she snuggled into Leroy in much the same way Shelby had cuddled with Hiram when she'd first woken.

"She'll be in soon" Leroy promised, "maybe when you've woken a little more you could take Mommy into the back yard and show her your swingset and your playhouse."

"Yeah" Rachel grinned, "an' you an' Dadda too?"

"Sure" Leroy smiled, "we can all go outside." Rachel nodded and snuggled into Leroy as she sat on her lap, "do you want to see something?" he asked.

"What it Papa?" Rachel nodded, waiting patiently as he took out his phone, finding the picture he'd taken earlier. Rachel's face lit up as she saw it, "Momma nap?"

"That's right" he nodded, "Mommy napped with you."

"Aww" Rachel giggled, "I like it."

"Good" Leroy chuckled, pointing to the doorway when Hiram and Shelby came back into the room.

"Momma" Rachel grinned, "you back."

"I was only in the kitchen Sweet Girl" Shelby smiled as she sat beside Leroy, Rachel scrambling into her lap, "did you have a nice nap?"

Rachel nodded, "you nap?" she asked as she tried to help herself to the glass of juice Shelby was holding.

"I did, I had a very nice nap with you" she smiled before carefully helping Rachel drink the juice without spilling anything.

"Rachel would like us to play outside with her this afternoon" Leroy told Shelby and Hiram, a smile on his face as he watched Shelby with Rachel, in awe of the bond the two of them had despite only having met for the first time just a few short weeks ago.

"Okay" Hiram smiled, having a similar thought to his husband about Shelby and Rachel, "would you like to go out now?"

Rachel nodded and Shelby kissed her head, "shall we get our shoes on then?"

Rachel nodded again, "you he'p me Momma?"

"Of course" Shelby lifted Rachel off her lap and stood her on the floor, "let's go."

After patiently waiting for Shelby to put her shoes on too, Rachel led her Mommy through the kitchen and into the back yard, "C'mon" she called to Hiram and Leroy, "we go."

"We're coming Sunshine" Leroy chuckled, "we'll be right out."

Hiram and Leroy stepped out of the house just in time to hear Rachel's excited giggle as she threw herself down her slide into Shelby's waiting arms. "They're perfect aren't they?" Hiram asked softly as he leaned into his husband.

"They are" Leroy put an arm around Hiram's cheek and kissed his head, "they absolutely are."

Once Rachel realised her fathers were outside, she insisted they joined her and Shelby, the toddler coming up with a game involving a soccer ball, that none of the adults seemed to know the rules to, but Rachel was happy, giggling happily as she raced around the garden, her parents trying to 'catch' her, and that was all that mattered.

They stayed outside until it was time for dinner, all three adults wondering how Rachel was still going, they were all exhausted but the toddler was still bursting with energy, "no" Shelby told Leroy as she flopped into a chair at the dining table, relieved that Rachel seemed happy to draw her a picture as Hiram made dinner, "she definitely doesn't get that energy from me" she laughed.

"We keep telling ourselves she'll grow out of it" Leroy joked, "but at least we've got an extra pair of hands to help us now."

"You have" Shelby smiled, "you have."

Surprisingly, Rachel didn't fight bedtime. She'd had some quiet time with all of her parents after dinner and she'd insisted that her Mommy be the one to put her to bed, but she hadn't protested, had allowed Shelby to bath her and then snuggled in the rocking chair with her, Shelby reading books until the toddler could barely keep her eyes open, "Momma" Rachel whimpered as Shelby pulled the covers around her and kissed her head.

"I'm here Sweet Girl" Shelby whispered.

Rachel smiled sleepily as she settled down, Benny in her arms, Shelby's tshirt against her cheek, "lub you".

"I love you too Rachel, so, so much."

Shelby stayed by Rachel's side, humming softly until she was sure she was asleep, making sure to flick on the nightlight before turning off the lamp and leaving the room, the door cracked open a little in case Rachel needed the bathroom in the night.

"Did she go down okay?" Leroy asked when Shelby rejoined them in the living room a while later.

"Yeah" Shelby nodded, "we read for a while but then she went straight to sleep when I put her in bed."

"That's good" Hiram nodded, frowning slightly as he saw Shelby wringing her hands together, "is everything okay?" he asked her.

"I erm… could one of you take me to CVS please? Or even Walmart will do." Shelby asked quietly, "I don't want to be a bother though so I can walk over in the morning if…"

"No, I can take you" Leroy stood, "what is it you need? We've probably got half a CVS store in the bathroom, we might already have it."

Shelby blushed slightly, "I need to get some tampons" she admitted, "I wasn't expecting it for another couple of days and I didn't know we'd be swimming so I only bought pads and…"

"Shelby" Leroy reached out and laid his hand on her arm, "go put some shoes on. I'll take you to the pharmacy."

Shelby smiled and went to grab her shoes and jacket, "thank you."

"So…" Leroy spoke as he backed off the driveway, "do you want to go to CVS or Walmart? I mean, ice cream and chocolate, is that real or just a stereotype?"

Shelby laughed, "no, that's real, the crying too."

"I don't think I'll ever understand women" Leroy mused, "you cry and eat ice cream when you're pregnant, you cry and eat ice cream when you're not."

Shelby shrugged, "maybe I just like crying and eating ice cream" she chuckled.

"Do you want me to wait here?" Leroy asked as he pulled into the parking lot at Walmart.

"You're a doctor and you know what I've come here to buy" Shelby shrugged, "you can come in if you want."

Shelby picked up what she needed and Leroy insisted she chose some ice cream too, the man grabbing a box of kleenex on the way to pay, "just in case" he joked.

"Leroy" Shelby protested when he handed over his card before she had chance, paying for everything without a word. "You didn't have to pay for it."

"I know I didn't" he told her, "but I wanted to, so I did, and there's nothing you can do about it" he teased.

Shelby rolled her eyes as they walked back to the car, "it looks like I'm going to have to buy Rachel more crap then doesn't it."

"She's got you wrapped around her little finger Shel, I'm sure you'd buy her anything she asked for, regardless of whether or not I paid for your groceries."

"Not everything" Shelby protested, "I have limits."

"You spent two hundred dollars on a six foot tall Teddy bear Shelby."

She bit her lip, "yeah, but that's age appropriate, if she asked me for like a ferrari or a jetski or something I'd tell her she had to wait until she's older."

Leroy laughed and shook his head, "I don't doubt that for a second." He glanced over at her when he stopped at a red light, "Okay?" he asked when he saw her looking at him.

Shelby sighed, "I know what we had before was only ever meant to be temporary, but this…" she sighed, "I missed you" she whispered, "you and Hiram."

Leroy smiled and reached for Shelby's hand, squeezing it gently, "we missed you too, we both, we… I don't think we realised quite how much we missed you until we saw you again."

Leroy insisted on showing Shelby where they kept their painkillers once they were home, telling her she didn't need to ask, that she could just help herself if she needed anything. Hiram then invited her to watch a movie with them, Shelby agreeing but first fetching three spoons from the kitchen, settling on the couch between the men to share her ice cream with them.

"Hir" Leroy whispered, getting his husband's attention when Shelby slumped against him as she fell asleep halfway through the movie.

"Oh" Hiram smiled, grabbing the blanket Rachel used for her naps and covering Shelby with it, "Rachel really is her double isn't she."

"She is" Leroy brushed Shelby's hair from her face, "she's obviously got strong genes".

"Rachel's a lucky girl."

"She is" Leroy agreed, thinking to himself that Rachel wasn't the only lucky one.

"Do we wake her?" Hiram asked once the movie was finished, seeing Shelby had curled herself up against Leroy's chest.

Leroy shook his head, "I'll carry her up, let her sleep." Hiram pulled back the blanket and Leroy managed to stand without waking Shelby, the woman only stirring slightly as he lifted her into his arms. "You're okay" he reassured her.

"Wha…" Shelby frowned sleepily, looping her arms around Leroy's neck and nuzzling into his chest.

"You fell asleep" he told her, "I'm taking you up to bed." Part of Shelby's brain thought it should protest, she should walk, she didn't need to be carried, but she felt safe in Leroy's arms, and she was quite tired so she just nodded against him. "Sweet Dreams" Leroy chuckled quietly as he laid her on the bed.

"G'night" Shelby yawned, reaching out to curl her fingers around Leroy's wrist as he stood and moved to leave the room, "Leroy?"

"Yeah?" he turned back to her, finding her gazing up at him, eyelids heavy with sleep.

"Thank you."


	8. Chapter 8

I'm not Jewish, nor do I speak Hebrew, the Hebrew used in this chapter came from a youtube search for a Jewish lullaby and then a google search for a translation and the lyrics so I hope it's not too 'off'. That being said, if I do have any Jewish readers and I have completley misinterpreted anything, please feel free to drop me a PM or leave me a review so I can fix it.

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Shelby was woken from her slumber by the creak of her bedroom door being pushed open, a quick glance at the clock telling her that it was barely 5am. She didn't need to open her eyes properly, knew from the soft footsteps that it was Rachel, the quiet whisper of "Momma" confirming that for her.

Shelby lifted the duvet, silently giving Rachel permission to climb in beside her, she didn't speak though, thought that if she didn't engage with the toddler, she might be more likely to go back to sleep. She knew that if Rachel really was ready to get up then she'd get up with her, but she really hoped she'd be able to convince her to sleep a little while longer. She laid still, her eyes closed as she felt Rachel's tiny hand tracing her face before settling against her cheek, Rachel nose to nose with her Mommy as she whispered her name again, asking, "you go now?" when she got a hum of acknowledgement.

"No Darling" Shelby held Rachel a little tighter, "I'm staying a little longer. But it's time to sleep now" she told her quietly.

Leroy too had heard Rachel leave her room and he'd pulled himself from both his husband's embrace and his warm bed to intercept the girl before she disturbed Shelby but the toddler had been too quick for him. He couldn't bring himself to go back to bed though, he'd just stepped into the hallway when Shelby had started singing, her voice soft and quiet as she tried to soothe Rachel back to sleep, "_Hashkiveinu Adonai Eloheinu l'shalom, v'ha'amideinu malkeinu l'hayyim_" it took Leroy's sleep addled brain a moment to realise Shelby was singing to Rachel in Hebrew. He didn't know what she was saying but he found himself unable to turn away and go back to bed, the man almost hypnotised by her voice, "_Hashkiveinu Adonai Eloheinu l'shalom, v'ha'amideinu malkeinu l'hayyim_."

"Leroy" Hiram yawned as he padded across the room, "what are you…" he was cut off by his husband turning, index finger on his lips requesting his husband to be quiet. It took a moment but then Hiram heard it too, "oh" he whispered, smiling as he too heard Shelby comforting their daughter, but unlike Leroy, Hiram recognised Shelby's words

"_U-sh'mor tzeteinu u-vo'einu l'hayyim u-l'shalom mei'ata v'ad olam_." Unaware that Hiram and Leroy were listening, Shelby continued rubbing circles on Rachel's back, holding her closely as she recited the Hebrew blessing she always remembered her grandmother saying with her each evening when she stayed with her, "_Hashkiveinu Adonai Eloheinu l'shalom, v'ha'amideinu malkeinu l'hayyim_."

"Do you know what she's singing?" Leroy asked his husband.

Hiram nodded, "Hashkiveinu" he told him, "it's a blessing said at evening prayers, asking the Lord to let us lay in peace and rise again in the morning."

"It's beautiful."

Hiram nodded, "yeah, it is."

Shelby's plan worked and just a few minutes later she heard a quiet snore from the girl cradled in her arms, Rachel settled against her Mommy after she'd pushed up Shelby's top to rest her hand on her stomach, "sweet dreams my beautiful girl" she whispered, kissing Rachel's forehead before allowing herself to fall back to sleep too.

When Shelby next woke, she was almost nose to nose with Rachel, opening her eyes to find her daughter grinning right at her, "you 'wake" she beamed.

"I am Sweet Girl" Shelby took the opportunity to rub noses with her daughter, "did you have a nice sleep?"

Rachel nodded as she reached out to gently stroke her Mommy's cheek, "you 'nuggle me good."

"I'm glad you think so" Shelby chuckled as she cuddled Rachel tightly and covered her face in kisses, "are you ready to get up now?" Shelby had soon realised that sleeping in was a luxury only 'Shelby' got, 'Mommy' got up when her baby did and Rachel was most definitely an early bird.

Rachel nodded, "hung'y Momma. An' need potty."

"Okay" Shelby sat up, Rachel still in her arms, "let's go to the bathroom and then get breakfast".

Rachel was sat on the kitchen worktop, Shelby helping her pour cheerios into two bowls when Leroy walked into the room, "Good Morning Sunshine" he leaned over Shelby's shoulder to kiss Rachel's forehead, "and good morning to you too" he smiled, kissing Shelby's cheek, "did you both sleep well?"

"I s'eep Momma bed" Rachel beamed, "we 'nuggle" she nodded happily before taking a handful of dry cheerios from the bowl and pushing them into her mouth.

"That's good" Leroy smiled before rolling his eyes, "you're meant to have milk on those Sunshine" he chuckled.

"But Papa, I hung'y" Rachel pouted.

"She gets the dramatics from you" Leroy told Shelby with a playful wink before turning to take the milk from the refrigerator.

"Yeah" Shelby nodded and laughed , "I'll give you that one."

"I do" Rachel made grabby hands towards the milk, completely ignoring the conversation between her parents.

"It's heavy, you need to let Mommy help you."

"Okay" Rachel nodded, letting Shelby help her pour milk onto the cereal, Leroy moving both bowls over to the table, smiling at the sound of Rachel's giggle as Shelby span round with the toddler as she lifted her from the worktop.

"Thank you for getting up with her" Leroy said as he flicked the kettle on once Rachel and Shelby were settled at the kitchen table with their cereal.

"It's okay" Shelby reached out to wipe milk from the corner of Rachel's mouth with her thumb, laughing when Rachel pretended to nibble at her thumb, "she's no trouble."

Leroy laughed as he placed coffee in front of Shelby and a cup of juice in front of Rachel, "I've been raising her for the past three years" he raised an eyebrow, "I know that isn't true."

"You realise that's another trait I'm going to deny she gets from me?"

"I wouldn't expect anything else." Leroy joined Shelby and Rachel at the table with his own breakfast.

Hiram joined the rest of his family just a few minutes later and it was then that they decided to tell Rachel their plans for the day. "Guess what we're doing today?" he asked once he'd got himself a bowl of cereal and joined his family at the small kitchen table.

"I no no Dada" Rachel shrugged innocently, "wha' it?"

"We thought we could all take Mommy to the pool so you can show her how good you are at swimming!"

"An sp'ashing" Rachel grinned.

"And splashing" Hiram agreed.

"Go now?" Rachel tried to scramble down from her chair.

"You said you were hungry" Shelby gently tapped Rachel's nose and sat her back in her chair, "eat your breakfast and then we can get our things together and go."

Rachel nodded and picked up her spoon again, "Okay Momma" she smiled, Hiram and Leroy sharing a smile at how easily Shelby had taken to parenting Rachel.

Rachel all but dragged Shelby upstairs once she'd finished eating, she loved it when her dad's took her to the pool and she was excited to get to share that experience with her Mommy. She hoped her Mommy would take her on the big slide too, she loved the big slide but she was too little to go down it on her own, and she thought it was a little bit scary, but it wasn't so scary when Daddy or Papa went down with her so it wouldn't be scary if Mommy took her on the big slide either. Shelby changed quickly into the simple black tankini she'd picked out at the mall before pulling on yoga pants and a tshirt, throwing her underwear and a towel onto the bed to push into a bag later. "Okay" she smiled when she was ready, "do you know where your swimsuits are or do we need to ask Daddy and Papa?"

Rachel took Shelby's hand and led her through to her own bedroom, "I know it" she nodded, pointing to one of her drawers, "in dere Momma."

"Okay" Shelby opened the drawer and found, amongst what seemed to be Rachel's summer clothes, three swimsuits. "Do you want to choose one?"

Rachel nodded and made her way over to her Mommy, tucking herself into her side as she thought about her options before pointing to a hot pink swimsuit with white spots all over it, "dat one" she grinned before turning to look up at Shelby, "you like?"

"I do" Shelby nodded as she put the other swimsuits back in the drawer, "now we need towels."

"Need Dada and Papa too" Rachel giggled.

"That's right" Shelby laughed as she tapped Rachel's nose with her index finger, "we need Daddy and Papa to be ready too!"

"I've got you both towels" Hiram told Shelby when they met on the landing, "and I didn't know if you needed this" he held out a small gym bag.

Shelby nodded and took the bag, "that would be great, thanks, Rachel's chosen a swimsuit, does she have water wings or anything?"

"She hates them" Hiram chuckled, "always has, she has a jacket that helps her float, I'll go grab it for you and then we can get going before Rachel bursts with excitement."

The family changed in the family changing area once they arrived at the pool, Shelby had had the foresight to wear her swimsuit under her clothes so she was on hand when Rachel tried to speed things up by undressing herself, only to get her head stuck inside her tshirt, "come here" Shelby laughed, pulling the shirt over Rachel's head and pushing it into the bag, "let's go potty before we get in the pool" she said once they were both changed, leading Rachel over to the toilets without complaint, Hiram and Leroy both happy to see Shelby so confident with their daughter.

Hiram and Leroy were both changed by the time Shelby and Rachel were finished, Shelby telling Rachel she didn't need to dry her hands once she'd washed them, "you need this on before we go any further Sunshine" Leroy told Rachel, helping her into her flotation jacket before letting her lead Shelby out to the water.

"No Momma" Rachel frowned as Shelby led her towards the shallow steps of the smaller pool.

"What's wrong?" Shelby asked, Hiram and Leroy had told her Rachel loved going to the pool so she couldn't understand why she was so reluctant to get in now.

"Oh" Hiram smiled as Leroy hung a towel for Rachel on one of the hooks by the pool, "she likes to jump in, one of us gets in and she jumps in to us, do you want Mommy to catch you when you jump in?" he asked.

Rachel nodded excitedly, her face lighting up, "yeah, ta Dada, ta Momma" she beamed as Hiram took her hand and led her carefully around the edge of the pool to wait for Shelby to get in the water. Hiram made eye contact with Shelby as she waded through the pool until she was waist deep in the water. He held up first one finger, then two, then three to indicate that Rachel would want Shelby to count before she jumped.

"Ready?" Shelby asked, getting an excited nod, "one, two…"

"Three!" Rachel giggled, not letting Shelby get there before she threw herself off the side of the pool into her Mommy's arms.

"Wow" Shelby laughed as she splashed Rachel into the water, Hiram sitting on the side before slipping into the water, "that was a really big jump!"

"Like do big jump" Rachel nodded, "like swim."

And Rachel wasn't kidding, she wasn't even that bothered about the inflatables or the toys in the pool. She just wanted to splash and kick and show off the clumsy doggy paddle she was able to do as she bobbed in the water, held afloat by her jacket.

"She's such a water baby" Leroy smiled as he watched Rachel giggle happily and kick her legs as Hiram pulled her through the water. "Sometimes we wonder if she knows how much time you spent in the water when you were pregnant" he joked, "she'd spend hours in the bathtub if we let her, she definitely gets that from you."

"I think I got it from her" Shelby laughed, "before and after I was pregnant I've always prefered showering." Leroy was right, Shelby had spent a lot of time in the water during her pregnancy. Once running became uncomfortable she'd taken to swimming at least twice a week, and then she'd joined a pregnancy water aerobics class too, and, in the final weeks of her pregnancy, she'd spent hours in the bathtub, the warm water helping soothe her aching muscles, even when her bump became so big that getting in and out of the tub was a struggle, she'd just asked Hiram or Leroy to help her so she didn't slip. She'd even planned a water birth, but Rachel had had other ideas, Shelby had laboured at home for a while, but, once they arrived at the hospital, things progressed so quickly that Shelby barely had time to be admitted to a room before Rachel made her appearance.

"Maybe you did" Leroy smiled, "but you and her are more alike than we could ever have imagined. She's perfect."

"I'll warn you now" Shelby smiled as Rachel doggy paddled over to them, Hiram walking beside her, encouraging her along, "if she's that much like me, you might not be thinking she's so perfect when she hits her teens" she laughed, scooping Rachel into her arms and spinning her round in the water.

"You see me?" Rachel asked hopefully.

"I did" Shelby nodded, "you're so good at swimming I think you might be a mermaid!"

Rachel shook her head, "I not Momma" she shook her head, "I gots legs, look!"

"Oh yeah" Shelby laughed, "silly me!"

"Didn't you want to ask Mommy something Rach?" Hiram asked.

Rachel nodded and pointed to the big slide, "we do? P'ease?"

"Sure" Shelby began to swim backwards, pulling Rachel through the water towards the steps out of the pool, "let's go." Hiram and Leroy had both told Shelby how much Rachel loved the bigger slides but that she needed an adult to go down them with her and she was looking forward to sharing in her daughter's excitement.

Shelby and Rachel slid down the larger slides several times before Shelby walked back to the pool with Rachel, catching Hiram's eye as she helped Rachel up one of the smaller slides, this one shaped like an elephant with three steps up it's back, and, once she'd reached the top, Rachel slid down the elephant's trunk into Hiram's waiting arms.

Rachel was exhausted by the time she was finally convinced to leave the pool, Leroy quick to grab the towel he'd left on the side of the pool and wrap it around Rachel as she let her head fall sleepily onto Shelby's shoulder, "hey" Shelby bounced her gently in her arms, "we need to get dressed before you can fall asleep."

"I no sleep" Rachel promised before letting out a loud yawn, causing all three adults to laugh.

"Do you want us to take her while you get changed?" Leroy asked as they reached the changing area.

"I can do it" Shelby smiled, "then you can take her so I can get changed" she thanked Hiram as he passed her her towel.

"Okay" Leroy nodded, "just say if you need a hand."

"I will" Shelby promised as she set Rachel on the floor to put Rachel's clothes in the bag with her own.

"Momma" Rachel patted Shelby's thigh, "we do?" she pointed to the showers, Hiram and Leroy watching on in shock as Rachel confidently led Shelby towards the showers, they'd tried to shower with her once after getting out of the pool and she'd just screamed so they hadn't tried again, choosing instead to just take her home and give her a bath instead, but now she was stood under the shower, giggling happily with Shelby without a care in the world.

"We'll just have a quick shower to get all the pool water off us" Shelby told Rachel, "and we can have a proper shower at home okay?"

Rachel nodded and closed her eyes, tipping her head backwards to let the water rain down on her face. "Okay Momma" she nodded.

It was no surprise to anyone that Rachel fell asleep in the car on the way home, but she stirred as Leroy lifted her into his arms to carry her into the house, "shh, you're okay Sunshine."

Rachel frowned slightly, "I gotta go" she mumbled.

"Go where?" Hiram asked.

"Momma" Rachel yawned, "we wowa".

"Don't you want to have your nap first?" Rachel shook her head, despite the fact she was struggling to keep her eyes open. "Well then Mommy, it looks like you and this sleepy little monkey are going for your shower" he smiled as he handed Rachel over, quietly asking if Shelby was okay to shower with Rachel and getting a nod in response.

"Come on then" Shelby carried Rachel up the stairs, "let's get you clean and dry so you can have a little nap."

"Momma nap too?" Rachel yawned.

"Yeah" Shelby smiled, "I probably will."

Shelby worked quickly to wash herself and her daughter, using her shower gel and shampoo to wash the girl without question, and, by the time they were finished, Rachel could barely keep her eyes open. "Momma" Rachel whined when Shelby wrapped them both in separate towels, tugging at the towel wrapped around her Mommy, she was sleepy and she just wanted to cuddle up with her Mommy to nap.

"Let's get dried off" Shelby said softly, "and then I promise we can snuggle."

Once Shelby had dried the both she towel dried Rachel's hair, loosely braiding it to stop it from tangling as she slept. She did the same to her own hair before pulling on a sports bra and her pyjama bottoms, just putting panties on Rachel so the girl could have the skin contact she seemed to be craving before laying down with her daughter.

Rachel sighed happily as she nuzzled into Shelby, settling down to lay chest to chest with her. She loved cuddling her Mommy, she was so soft and warm and she always smelled really good too, so Rachel let her fingers curl around the strap of Shelby's bra and buried her face in the crook of her Momma's neck as she allowed her eyes to flutter closed for a final time before as she drifted off to sleep.

Shelby watched Rachel sleep for a while before her own eyelids began to grow heavy, the early start and an energetic morning in the pool meaning that it wasn't long until she too dozed off, holding her daughter close.


	9. Chapter 9

Hiram had handed Shelby a sheet of paper once Rachel was in bed on Sunday evening, "we don't expect you to take her to all, or even any of those" he told her, "but that's a list of all the toddler groups around here. I only work 4 days a week so I usually take her somewhere on my day off, but if you have your own plans or if you want to stay here with her all week then that's absolutely fine."

Shelby glanced at the list, seeing that it included everything from a 'little fishes' swim group to toddler gymnastics and story time at the library. "No, that's great" Shelby smiled, "I was a bit worried about her being bored so we'll definitely go to a few of these. Thank you."

"We've put you on the insurance for my car too" Leroy told Shelby, "Hiram and I will car share for the week."

"You don't have to do that" Shelby told them, "honestly I…"

"It's okay" Leroy told her, "really, we'd rather you had a car and didn't use it than want to go to the store or something and not be able to get there."

"Okay" Shelby nodded, "thank you."

"We've arranged for a local photographer to come and take some pictures of you on Tuesday" Hiram told her, "so that you, and Rachel, both have some nice photos of each other."

"No" Shelby shook her head, "that's too much, let me…"

But Hiram hadn't finished, "you told Leroy you'd had a friend to take your headshots?" she nodded, "so we've asked the photographer to take some professional ones for you."

"I'll pay you for…"

"You'll pay us for nothing" Leroy said firmly, if we didn't want to pay for it then we wouldn't have booked it. Just enjoy it Shelby, let us spoil you while you're here."

"Thank you" Shelby smiled, "and I don't want you to think I'm not grateful, I am, I guess I'm just so used to supporting myself and paying my own way that it feels strange to have other people do things for me."

"I'm afraid that's something you're going to have to get used to" Leroy smiled, "because for as long as you're going to insist on spoiling Rachel, we're going to take care of you."

Shelby smiled sadly, "I wish my biological 'family' had been as supportive as you always have." Shelby's father left when she was five, she didn't find out until much later that he had a girlfriend and three children in Texas and, one night, he just packed up his things and left. She'd been seven when her Mom remarried and she got on well with her stepdad, he and her Mom happy to pay for all the dance lessons and acting classes the girl could dream of. Until she became a teenager, until she began to express plans to make singing and dancing more than a hobby. They'd told her that she was 'a clever little girl' and she shouldn't waste her intelligence by 'prancing around' all the time. And then the dance classes and the lifts home from theatre club had stopped. It hadn't deterred Shelby, in fact, being told she couldn't do it just made her even more determined. She got lifts with friends, walked miles to classes when she had to and she even helped her own dance teacher teach the 'tiny tots' class as payment for her own dance classes. She worked hard, got a job to help pay for classes and began looking into performing arts schools, knowing that she wanted to go to New York. When her parents saw the college applications, realised what she was planning to do, they sat her down, told her it was time to 'stop playing silly games' and get serious. They told her she'd never make it as a performer and that, if she chose a law school or a med school then they'd help her with her tuition, but, if she went to a performing arts school, she was on her own. Shelby's response had been a simple "okay" and she knew from the smug looks on both their faces that they thought she'd won. But they hadn't. Shelby knew this was what she wanted and she'd go it alone if she had to. So she did.

Money had been an issue, the jobs Shelby could fit in around school hadn't paid much and, whilst she had some savings, she knew they wouldn't last long, so she deferred her college application for a year to find a job, she'd planned to get a cheap studio, live frugally and save as much as she possibly could. But then she'd seen Hiram and Leroy advert, it had immediately caught her attention and, after thinking it over for a couple of days, she'd called them. They'd hit it off as soon as they'd met and, almost before she knew it, Shelby was signing the contract to say she'd have no contact with the child once it was born. She didn't mind though, she was in no doubt that the Berry's would be amazing fathers, and they proved that in the way they cared for her during her pregnancy. She wanted for nothing. They let her live in their guest room and wouldn't hear of her contributing to the utilities or the groceries, they even paid for all her maternity clothes, anything she needed, they'd provided. They'd helped her with her applications, read scene after scene with her for her auditions and encouraged her every step of the way. There had been flowers and alcohol free champagne when she got her acceptance letter from her first choice college and, after Rachel's birth, they'd given her far more money than they'd agreed on, insisting she took it, wanting to be sure that she was going to be okay when she made it to New York. They'd been everything her parents hadn't.

"That's their loss" Hiram's words and a gentle squeeze to her hand broke her from her thoughts, "and if it means Leroy and I get those opening night tickets…" he teased.

Shelby laughed, "definitely. And if… when I get a big part, I'll make sure you're in the front row!"

"Good" Hiram smiled, "because we wouldn't miss it for the world."

The conversation was a little bittersweet for Shelby, she'd worked so hard to get where she was, was within touching distance of everything she'd ever dreamed of, and then she'd been given Rachel, the young girl meaning more to her than any performance, 'Mommy' the best role she could ever think of. And, after spending just 48 continuous hours with her daughter, Shelby had all but made up her mind. She was going to finish her degree, she was so close to the end that it seemed stupid to throw away all her hard work, so, she was going to graduate and then she was going to move back to Ohio, she'd find an apartment and a job and she'd get to be around to see Rachel grow up.

She hadn't mentioned her plans to Hiram and Leroy yet, wasn't sure she would until they were set in concrete, she knew they'd just encourage her to stay in New York, that they'd promise to make things work without her having to give up her dreams. She'd often wondered if they were encouraging her to stay in New York so they were in control of her access to their daughter, but she didn't care, she'd respect their wishes, she wouldn't intrude on their family. She wasn't sure how it would work, she just knew that, if she was given the choice between her dreams and her daughter, Rachel would win every single time.

Shelby watched a movie with Hiram and Leroy, this time managing to stay awake until the credits rolled, both men kissing her on the cheek and wishing her goodnight when she told them she was going to bed before Leroy had to carry her upstairs again.

Shelby wasn't at all surprised when she was woken by Rachel scrambling into her bed, but, what did surprise her was the fact Rachel had stayed in her own bed until almost 6.30, Shelby could already hear movement downstairs and assumed Rachel was usually awake by now anyway. "Morning Sweet Girl." Shelby whispered.

Rachel smiled sleepily as she tucked herself into her Mommy's open arms, "Hi" she yawned.

Shelby ran her hand over Rachel's hair as she pulled the covers around her, "are you ready to get up?"

"No' yet" Rachel mumbled, her eyelids still heavy with sleep, "jus' wan' you."

"You've got me Sweet Girl, you've got me." Shelby adored Rachel, but she especially loved her like this, warm and snuggly and not yet properly awake.

Rachel yawned again and nuzzled into Shelby before telling her, "I no sleep."

"Okay" Shelby began rubbing circles on Rachel's back, she didn't know if the girl would fall back to sleep or not but she wanted to give her the chance to get some more sleep if she needed it, "we can just cuddle until you're ready to get up."

Rachel nodded against Shelby's chest, "good."

There was a knock at the door a little after seven am, so quiet Shelby almost missed it, "yeah?" she called gently, Rachel was both quiet and still so she didn't want to disturb her if she had fallen back to sleep.

"I just wanted to let you know we'll be leaving soon" Hiram poked his head around the door, "is there anything you need before we leave?"

"I'm okay thanks" Shelby smiled, "I'm sure Rachel will help me figure everything out."

"I'm sure she will too" Hiram chuckled, "is she still asleep?" He knew the sight of Shelby, still half asleep, tucked up in bed with Rachel fast asleep in her arms would be enough to keep him smiling through a long day at the office.

"I think so. She came in about thirty minutes ago but she told me she didn't want to sleep."

"Wow, we think we've done well if she sleeps til six!"

"I wish I could tell you how I did it but it just sort of happened" Shelby laughed.

"Do you mind if I say goodbye to her?" Hiram asked with a smile.

Shelby shook her head, "of course not."

Hiram walked over to the bed, brushing Rachel's hair from her face and kissing her cheek, "have a good day Sunshine, and be good for Mommy" he whispered before kissing Shelby's cheek, "you have a good day too" he told her, "and if you need anything you can call me."

"Thank you" Shelby smiled, "see you later."

"Are you okay if Leroy comes up and…" Hiram gestured towards Rachel.

"Of course, you don't have to ask."

"When she's in your bed, with you, of course we do."

"It's fine, honestly, send him up" Shelby reassured him, "I don't mind at all."

Rachel woke with a sigh and a yawn about fifteen minutes after Leroy had been up to say goodbye to them both, Shelby smiled and kissed Rachel's hair as the girl stretched before finally opening her eyes, "Momma" she grinned.

"Good Morning" Shelby returned the smile.

"I hungry" Rachel announced, "we eat now?"

"Sure" Shelby chuckled, amazed that Rachel had gone from fast asleep to wide awake in a matter of seconds, "let's go get breakfast."

Rachel and Shelby showered together once they'd eaten breakfast, Shelby choosing casual clothes for them both, she didn't have any plans for the day, she thought she'd just play it by ear and see what Rachel wanted to do. She didn't want to overwhelm the girl with activities and she wanted to make the most of the time she had with her baby. "Do you want to go to the store?" Shelby asked as she combed through Rachel's hair and tied it back in a ponytail, much like her own.

"Wha'for Momma?" Rachel asked inquisitively.

"Well, I thought we could get some things to make dinner for Daddy and Papa later, and we could get the ingredients to make cookies or a cake too" she gently tapped her index finger against the edge of Rachel's nose.

Rachel's face lit up and she clapped her hands together, "cake p'ease Momma."

"Okay Sweet Girl" Shelby kissed Rachel's nose, "let's go get our shoes then."

Shelby wasn't at all surprised by how much of a mess she and Rachel made making the cake and she briefly wished she'd just bought a packet mix instead of baking from scratch, but one look at the happy smile on Rachel's flour streaked face told her she'd made the right decision. Mess would clean she told herself, and Rachel wouldn't remember how untidy things got, but she would remember baking cakes with her Mommy and that was the most important thing.

Hiram and Leroy had told Shelby that Rachel still needed an afternoon nap, but she'd begun to fight it, so instead of 'nap time' they gave her 'quiet time' in the afternoon where they either put a movie on or read stories together. They told her that it usually resulted in Rachel falling asleep but avoided the tantrum any mention of naptime might bring. With that in mind, Shelby got Rachel to choose a movie after lunch and she made herself comfy on the couch, letting Rachel cuddle into her as the movie began to play.

"Momma, what do?" Rachel asked when she noticed Shelby rubbing circles on her stomach.

"Oh" Shelby hadn't even realised she was doing it, "I've got a little bit of tummy ache" she told her, thinking that was the easiest way to explain her cramps to the toddler.

"You need medicine?" Rachel asked as she sat up away from her Mommy.

Shelby shook her head, "I've had some Darling, I'm okay, let's just watch the movie yeah?"

Rachel nodded and settled back down, but just a few moments later Rachel's hand joined Shelby's, Shelby wanting to cry a little as Rachel's tiny hand gently began to rub her stomach too, Rachel wanting to help her Momma feel better.

It didn't take long for Rachel to doze off in her Momma's arms, and, it wasn't much longer after that that Shelby's eyes fluttered closed too, the pair napping together until Rachel woke again, the movement of the toddler by her side waking Shelby too, "you still got owies?" Rachel asked as she gently rubbed Shelby's stomach.

"I'm okay" Shelby reassured her, "do you want to help make dinner?" she asked to distract the girl, "we can make it now so it's ready to put in the oven when Daddy and Papa get home."

Once again, Rachel jumped at the chance to help her Mommy in the kitchen, and she sat at the kitchen table, drawing a picture of her and Shelby baking a cake as Shelby prepared everything, Shelby moving to the table once everything was ready so Rachel could help her layer the lasagne they'd decided to make.

For the second time that day, Shelby allowed Rachel to watch cartoons on the TV as she cleaned the kitchen, and once she was done she joined her daughter, the TV playing to itself as Shelby and Rachel spent the afternoon playing with every toy the toddler owned, or at least that's how it felt to Shelby.

"We're home" Leroy called as he and Hiram walked through the front door.

"Papa" Rachel gasped, racing over towards the door, "Papa, Papa" she took his hand, "Momma gots owies in her tummy" she pointed to her own stomach, "come see." She pulled him through to the kitchen where Shelby had gone to put dinner in the oven when she'd heard the car on the driveway, "she dere Papa."

"I can see she is" Leroy smiled, "hi."

"Hi" Shelby smiled, "Rachel and I made lasagne, I hope that's okay?"

"That's great, Rachel says you have owies in your tummy."

Shelby laughed and rolled her eyes, "it's just cramps" she shrugged, "I'll be okay."

"Have you taken painkillers?"

She nodded, "I took some at lunch."

"Okay. How long does the lasagne need?"

"Around half an hour, why?"

"Go sit down" Leroy said softly, "go make yourself comfortable on the couch and I'll be through in a minute."

It was then Shelby realised Rachel was still holding onto Leroy's arm as the girl reached for her, "I take her Papa" she nodded, "come on Momma."

As promised Rachel led Shelby back into the living room, and over to the couch, waiting for Shelby to sit down before cuddling into her and clumsily trying to pull the blanket around them both. Shelby smiled and helped Rachel cover them both with the blanket. "Is that okay?" she asked.

Rachel nodded, "you okay Momma?"

"I'm fine darling, I promise."

"Kay" Rachel began rubbing Shelby's stomach again, "Me an' Dadda an' Papa make you better."

Shelby smiled and kissed Rachel's hair, "you already have sweetheart."

Leroy smiled when she saw Rachel and Shelby cuddled together on the couch, "here" he handed Shelby a glass of water and two painkillers, waiting for her to take the pills before passing her a warm heat pad.

"I'm okay" she told him, "really, they aren't that bad."

"I believe you" Leroy told her, "and I know that you probably know better than any of us how to deal with them and what you're capable of, but I don't want Rachel to be angry with me for not taking care of you properly. So please, just humour me for now." he said quietly.

Shelby smiled and nodded, she understood, he was going over the top for Rachel's benefit, "thank you" she took the heat pad and slipped it under the blanket to lay it against her stomach.

"Papa" Rachel looked at him, "Momma need bathtime?" she knew that when she had a tummy ache her Daddys would give her a nice warm bath to help her feel better.

Leroy smiled and kissed the top of Rachel's head, "if Mommy wants a bath then she can have one, it's up to her."

Rachel turned her attention back to her Mom, "you want it?"

Shelby hugged Rachel a little tighter, "I'm okay, but thank you for thinking of it."

"I'm going to leave you in the capable hands of nurse Rachel and go get changed" Leroy smiled, setting Shelby's water on the coffee table for her, "I won't be long, but I want you to stay there and rest until dinner's ready" he winked.

Shelby laughed, "I'll do my best."

"I stay you Momma" Rachel said as she gently patted her arm, "I make you better."

Shelby kissed Rachel's hair, "thank you, I think snuggles with my Sweet Girl might be just what I need to make me feel better"

Rachel nodded, taking her job seriously as she stood up on the couch so she could hug Shelby as tightly as possible, "Like dis?"

"Yeah" Shelby returned the hug, "just like that."


	10. Chapter 10

Shelby woke on Tuesday morning to the feel of Rachel climbing onto her bed, the toddler snuggling right into Shelby so they were nose to nose when Shelby opened her eyes, "hi" Rachel grinned.

"Hi" Shelby chuckled as she realised that, unlike the previous morning, today she'd woken to a version of Rachel that was full of energy and ready to start her day at 6am.

"You 'wake now?"

"I am" Shelby reached out and gently ran her hand down Rachel's cheek, "are you hungry?"

Rachel nodded, "an' potty."

"Come on then" Shelby didn't wait any longer, pushing herself to her feet and scooping Rachel into her arms. They used the bathroom before heading downstairs, Rachel deciding on the short walk to the kitchen that she wanted toast for her breakfast.

Rachel helped by dropping the bread into the toaster and directing her Mommy to the chocolate spread before, with a little help, adding a generous helping to her own slice of toast, "Momma" she cocked her head to the side inquisitive before asking, "wha' doing?" as she watched Shelby slicing a banana onto her own toast with chocolate spread.

Shelby smiled, she'd learnt quickly, Rachel probably wouldn't agree to have fruit with her breakfast if she asked her, but she would if she saw her Mommy do it first. "I'm having a banana on my toast" she said simply, already knowing what would come next.

"And me nana?" Rachel asked, "p'ease"

"Sure" Shelby nodded, taking another banana from the fruit bowl and letting Rachel help her slice it and place it on her toast, "all done" she laughed when she saw Rachel licking chocolate spread off her fingers, "go on" she lifted Rachel to the floor, "go sit at the table and I'll bring this over."

"Okay Momma" Rachel beamed, reaching over to the table and climbing into her booster seat.

"Good Morning Sunshine" Leroy kissed Rachel's hair as he walked into the kitchen, then turning to Shelby, "Morning."

"Morning" Shelby smiled as Rachel greeted her Papa with a big grin.

"Have you been up long?" Leroy asked as he took four mugs out of the cupboard, flicking on the coffee machine and beginning to make hot chocolate for Rachel.

"Forever Papa" Rachel nodded.

Shelby laughed, "about 20 minutes, half an hour maybe."

"We haved toast" Rachel grinned as she scrambled onto Shelby's lap, "and chocolate and 'nana."

"Wow, that does sound yummy" Leroy smiled at the chocolate around his daughter's mouth, "thank you for getting up with her" he told Shelby.

"I don't mind" Shelby told him as she gently bounced Rachel on her knee, "it's a little earlier than I'm usually up but when you wake to this grin, how can you be angry?"

"She's certainly a little charmer" Leroy laughed as he put Shelby and Rachel's mugs down on the table.

"Good morning Ladies" Hiram kissed Shelby's cheek before leaning over her shoulder to kiss Rachel too "are you both okay?"

"I good Dada" Rachel nodded, it was a silly question if you asked her, she'd had chocolate spread for breakfast and her Mommy was still here and she'd get to be with her all day, she might even get to snuggle her at bedtime, of course she was okay.

"I'm glad to hear that" Hiram chuckled, before looking to Shelby, wanting to make sure she was okay too. He knew being a full time 'Mommy' to Rachel was a big change from the life she was used to.

Shelby nodded, "I'm good too" she smiled, laughing when Rachel grinned and held out her hand for a high five.

"We all good" she smiled.

"That's right" Shelby winked, "we're all good."

"We wowa now?" Rachel asked, having already fallen into her Mommy's routine.

Shelby shook her head, "not yet, we can shower when Daddy and Papa have gone to work, and anyway, you've got to drink your hot chocolate."

"Oh yeah" Rachel giggled, "ta Momma." She settled down on Shelby's lap as she gulped at her drink, Leroy, as always, adding plenty of milk to ensure that it wasn't too hot for her to drink.

"Does she know the plans for today?" Shelby asked Leroy as he sat beside her at the table.

Hiram and Leroy both shook their heads, "she has a tendency to get a little overexcited" Hiram chuckled, "especially where you're involved."

"Is that a good thing or…"

"She loves you Shelby" Leroy gently squeezed her hand, "that's never going to be a bad thing."

As they had every morning, Rachel and Shelby showered together after breakfast and it was only when the two of them were wrapped up in towels that Shelby told Rachel someone was coming to take some photos of them, "so, when we're not together we'll have some happy pictures of each other to look at until we can see each other again."

Rachel pouted as she looked up at Shelby, "you go soon?"

Shelby shook her head, "I'll be here for a few more days" she told her, "and we'll have lots of fun before I go."

Rachel insisted on putting on her 'bestest' dress for her photos, and turned on the charm as soon as she met the photographer. The man introduced himself and, as Rachel watched intently, he decided to take Shelby's headshots first, the photos only taking a few minutes, "I thought I could get some of the two of you here and then we could maybe take a walk to the park and take some outside?" he suggested.

Shelby nodded and pulled on a thin black sweater over the white tshirt she'd worn for her headshots, "that sounds great."

Rachel had definitely inherited Shelby's love of performing, she loved posing for the camera, grinning from ear to ear as the photographer worked but eventually she seemed to forget what was going on, allowing for some candid photos to be taken along with the posed ones.

As they were already out, Shelby took Rachel to the cafe in the park for lunch, ordering mac and cheese for them both, knowing Rachel would want to eat what she was having. They walked around the duck pond once they'd eaten, pausing to get ice cream before walking the rest of the way home. Shelby could tell Rachel was getting tired by the time they made it home so she changed both herself and the toddler into sweatpants and tshirts before taking Rachel into the guest room, flicking on the TV and curling up with her daughter so they could nap away the afternoon.

They hadn't been awake long and were playing together in the back yard when Hiram and Leroy returned home, earlier than usual, so they could go and sign the paperwork that would officially reinstate Shelby's parental rights. Hiram had explained that because Shelby had never 'officially' given up her rights in court, that the contract had just been an agreement between the three of them, all they'd have to do was sign a new contract that would declare the one signed before Rachel's birth null and void.

"It's everything we talked about" Leroy told her, "but please read it and let us know if there's anything you'd like to add or change."

Shelby nodded and took the paper, she trusted Hiram and Leroy but decided to read anyway. The document started by stating it was a replacement for the contract signed before Rachel's birth and went on to say that Shelby was to have full parental rights to Rachel, that she could make decisions about any medical treatment Rachel may need in her care and that she was able to have access and visits with Rachel without restriction. The document also stated that Hiram and Leroy would be responsible for the cost of transportation between Ohio and New York for both Shelby and Rachel, and that they expected no financial support from Shelby for Rachel's upbringing. Shelby wasn't happy with that but she knew arguing was pointless, that Hiram and Leroy would insist that they didn't need her money so she decided just to let it slip for now, she could always make a bank account for Rachel or put money into her college fund instead, "where do I sign?" she asked once she'd read everything, as Leroy said, the contract just put into writing everything they'd already agreed.

She signed and dated the papers before watching as Hiram and Leroy signed both the new contract and a second document to state that, in the event of their deaths, or anything that left them unable to care for Rachel for any length of time, Shelby was to be contacted immediately so that Rachel could be placed straight into her care.

"Do we need to sign something regarding Rachel's change of name?" Leroy asked as he handed the papers back.

Shelby frowned before glancing down at her daughter, the girl playing happily on the floor by her feet, this was the first time anyone had mentioned Rachel's name being changed, "what…"

Hiram smiled and handed over the papers that had just been given to him, "why don't you read through them and then be the first to sign them Mommy?"

Shelby's frown grew, her jaw dropping as she read the paperwork and found that Hiram and Leroy wanted Rachel Barbara Berry to now be known as Rachel Barbara Corcoran-Berry. "Are you sure?" she asked, looking up at the two men with tears in her eyes, "you don't have to do this."

"We know" Leroy smiled as Hiram swiped at Shelby's tears with his thumbs, "but we want to, she's your daughter as much as she's ours, if you're happy with her having both our names then so are we."

"I…" Shelby wiped at her tears as Rachel noticed she was crying and scrambled up onto her lap to hug her tightly, "hey, I'm okay" she told her daughter as Rachel reached up to wipe at her cheeks.

Hiram held out a pen, "why don't you sign those papers Mommy?" he said with a smile, loving how Shelby's smile seemed to light up every time he called her Mommy.

"You're sure?" Shelby took the pen in her left hand, her right wrapped around Rachel as she sat on her Mommy's lap, holding the pen above the paper until Hiram and Leroy both nodded, signing her name with a flourish, adding the date on the line below her signature.

The appointment didn't last much longer and Shelby couldn't help but hug Hiram and Leroy tightly as they stepped out into the parking lot, "thank you" she whispered as they both hugged her back just as tightly, "you've got no idea how much this means to me."

"We have" Hiram told her, "it's why we did it."

"And we know that, if she understood everything, it would mean just as much to Rachel as it does to you." Leroy added.

Once they were back in the car, Hiram decided they'd get takeout for dinner as a celebration, he offered to let Shelby choose where they got their food from, and she, in turn, asked Rachel what she wanted, the toddler deciding that she wanted a burger and chicken nuggets from mcdonalds, a place Hiram and Leroy rarely took her to.

"Are you regretting letting Rachel choose?" Hiram caught Shelby's eye in the rear view mirror as he waited in line at the drive through.

Shelby laughed and shook her head, "not if it makes her happy, but I'm warning you now, I'm probably going to need to eat again later, McDonald's never fills me for long."

"Us neither" Leroy nodded, "it's why we rarely eat here. I'll cook for us after someone's gone to b-e-d."

Rachel was only too happy to share her dinner with her Mommy, despite the fact that Shelby told her she didn't have to, that she had her own food. Rachel didn't mind though, she was super excited, Daddy and Papa hardly ever let her have food like this but now her Mommy was here and she was getting to eat a burger, fries and chicken nuggets!

Once everything had been eaten, Hiram and Leroy produced a large chocolate sheet cake, the words 'congratulations Mommy' piped on the top in white icing. Shelby gasped, "you didn't have to do this!"

"Be glad it's just the cake" Leroy rolled his eyes, "someone wanted banners and balloons too."

"Thank you" Shelby smiled, "honestly, this, the new contract, that was more than enough, but changing her name, the cake…"

"We mean what we said Shelby" Hiram squeezed her shoulder, "we want you to be her Mommy, we want you to be a part of her life, this is just our way of showing you that we really mean it."

"Thank you."

Leroy waved his hand dismissively, "it's fine, now, let me get a picture of you and your baby with that cake."

Rachel sat on Shelby's knee as they ate their cake, mother and daughter sharing a slice, both smiling and laughing as they fed each other bites, both so caught up in each other that they didn't realise that Leroy hadn't stopped taking photos after the one they'd posed for. "Momma" Rachel giggled, "you gots a cake face."

"Yeah?" Shelby laughed, swiping some frosting onto her finger before wiping it onto Rachel's cheek, "so have you!"

"Momma" Rachel giggled as she did the same, wiping chocolate frosting into Shelby's cheek, "now we same."

"We are" Shelby smiled, dipping her head to rub noses with her daughter, smiling when Rachel lifted her hand to gently rest it on Shelby's cheek, "we are."

As she'd taken to showering with Shelby in the morning, Rachel skipped her bath before bed, Shelby just washing the cake off her face with a damp washcloth before allowing Rachel to wash her face for her too. "Momma" Rachel grinned up at Shelby from where she sat on the bathroom counter after cleaning her teeth, "lub you."

Shelby smiled and lifted Rachel into her arms, feeling the girl snuggle into her sleepily, "I love you too Sweet Girl, to the moon and back."

Rachel loved storytime, sleepy snuggles as she was read to sleep were one of her most favourite things in the entire world. But her Mommy reading to her was just the best. Tonight Mommy was holding her in her special chair, she was tucked up in a blanket against her Mommy and Mommy was rocking slowly as she read. Mommy didn't even mind Rachel's hand slipping under her top to rest against her stomach. Rachel felt her eyes begin to close, but she didn't mind, she knew that if she went to sleep now, when she woke up she could go find her Mommy, she could have kisses and snuggles and then they'd have a lot of fun together.

"Let's get you tucked into bed" Shelby said softly when she saw Rachel yawn as her eyes fluttered closed, the toddler just nodding in response.

It didn't take long for Shelby to get Rachel settled in bed, and by the time she made her way back downstairs, Leroy was already making a second dinner for the three of them.

"There's something we want to talk to you about" Hiram told her as they waited for the food to cook, "it's related to what we spoke about earlier but we didn't mention it because we just want it to be between the three of us" he handed Shelby a piece of paper, "but we've opened a bank account, they're all the details you'll need to be able to access it, there's currently a thousand dollars in there but we'll add to it in the future."

Leroy saw Shelby frown in confusion, "it's a sort of safety net for us" he explained, "we both have life insurance and, other than the money that would go into a trust fund for Rachel, if, anything happens to us before Rachel turns 18, the payout would go to you to help you with the cost of raising her. But if, God forbid, anything did happen to us, even if we were just sick or injured and we were unable to look after Rachel, we don't want you worrying about how you'll get to her. If we can't care for her, we want you to use that money for flights, hotels, car rental, whatever you need to get to Rachel, whatever you need to take care of her when we can't, we don't want you worrying about the cost of getting to her or taking care of her."

Shelby nodded, that made sense, she only hoped she'd never have to use their money, that nothing would ever happen to Hiram and Leroy. "But it's not just about us needing you to care for Rachel" Hiram told her before she had chance to speak, "no matter what happens, no matter where you are, what you're doing, if you need us, if anything happens and you need anything at all, you can use that money to come home, no questions asked okay."

Shelby nodded, wanting to cry a little when she heard Hiram refer to their house as home. He was right, she loved her apartment in New York and it felt like home to her now, but, when she'd moved in with Hiram and Leroy, it was the first time she'd felt like she was home in a long time. "Thank you" she whispered.

"You don't need to thank us" Hiram gently squeezed her hand, "you will always have a home with us, with your daughter, no matter where we go, our home will always be your home Shelby. Nothing will ever change that."


	11. Chapter 11

Wednesday morning saw Rachel waking in time to have breakfast with her dads before they left for work, and, after they'd showered and dressed, Shelby decided to take Rachel to the park. They had the small play area to themselves and Shelby was only too happy to run around with her daughter, chasing her over the jungle gym and catching her after she threw herself down the slide, "Momma, Momma" Rachel raced over to the swingset, "you push me? P'ease?!"

"Sure" Shelby lifted Rachel onto the swing, "hold on tight" she told her before beginning to push her. She couldn't help but smile at the sound of Rachel's happy giggle as she was pushed on the swing, the toddler kicking her little legs as she clung tightly to the chains, just like her Mommy had told her to. It all happened so quickly but at the same time it seemed to happen in slow motion, Rachel leaned back a little too far as the swing flew up into the air, her giggles turning into a scream as she slipped from the seat. Shelby didn't even remember reaching out but the next thing she knew, her arm was around Rachel's waist and she let out a sigh of relief, she'd caught the toddler before she'd hit the floor, Rachel might be a little shaken but she wasn't injured and that was the most important thing.

So caught up in her relief that Rachel was okay, Shelby didn't notice the swing coming back towards her but she did hear the sickening thud as the hard rubber hit her forehead and she stumbled backwards from the impact, surprised she managed to stay on her feet, Rachel still clutched in her arms. "Momma" Rachel gasped, her eyes filling with tears, "Momma, you owie."

Rachel was right, Shelby's head was owie, she was sure she'd have a lump in the morning but she didn't want to worry her baby, "I'm okay darling" she told her, briefly thinking how lucky it was that her headshots had been taken the previous day, before this happened.

"No" Rachel whimpered, reaching out a hand but not quite touching her Momma, "no 'kay."

"Wha…" Shelby cursed under her breath when she raised her own hand to her forehead, feeling the unmistakable warmth of her own blood beneath her fingers, "I'll be okay" she tried to reassure Rachel, "but I think we need to go home now."

"Yeah" Rachel nodded, "an tell Dada an' Papa so they can make you better."

"I'll be okay" Shelby promised as she left the park, Rachel on her hip and blood beginning to drip down her face.

Shelby grabbed the kitchen roll once they arrived back at the Berry house, balling up a handful and holding it against her forehead as she settled Rachel down to watch cartoons before slipping into the downstairs bathroom to try and clean herself up.

She swore again when she saw herself in the mirror, the cut, just below her hairline, still oozing, blood running down her face and she spent a few minutes trying to clean herself up before admitting defeat and taking out her phone to call Hiram. "Shelby" he answered quickly, "is everything okay?"

"No" she said honestly, "I'm sorry to disturb you but I think…" she paused as she felt her stomach churn and knew she didn't have time to cross the small room to the toilet, instead just vomiting into the sink in front of her.

"Shelby" Hiram was already packing up his things to leave work, "what's happened, are you okay?"

Shelby groaned quietly, "I erm, I had a bit of an accident and I, I think I might need to go to the Emergency Room."

"I'm on my way" Hiram told her, "what's happened?"

"I took Rachel to the park, she, she leaned back too far on the swing and lost her balance, I caught her, she's fine, she's watching cartoons now" she wanted to reassure him that his daughter was okay, "but I, I didn't see the swing coming back and it hit me in the face, there's quite a lot of blood and I…" she lifted off the tissue she was still holding against the cut, "I don't know if I might need stitches or something."

"Okay" Hiram tried not to panic, the voice in his head pointing out that Shelby had a head injury and she'd just vomited, "I want you to get some gauze from the first aid kit, it's under the sink in our ensuite and try and apply pressure to it to see if you can stop it bleeding and then I want you to just sit down and take it easy until I get home, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Drive safely" Shelby told him, "I know you're worried but don't… Just be careful."

"I will" Hiram smiled at her concern, "I've got hands free in the car so if you start to feel sick again, or dizzy, or anything worries you, call me okay?" He made Shelby promise she'd call him if she needed anything before ending the call and sending a quick text to Leroy, 'Shelby just called, she's had a bang to the head, she thinks she needs stitches and she vomited while she was on the phone. Going to bring her into the ER, can you meet us? xx'

Shelby felt like it took every last bit of energy she had to pull herself upstairs, taping a piece of gauze to her forehead in a vain attempt to stop the blood, trying not to catch sight if herself in the mirror, she couldn't believe she'd been so stupid.

"Momma?" Shelby heard the quiver in Rachel's voice and quickly made her way back downstairs.

"I'm here Sweet Girl, what's wrong?"

Rachel held out her arms, "you owie?"

"I'm okay" Shelby lifted her daughter into her arms and bounced her gently , "and I called Daddy, he's going to come home to look after us, you don't need to worry Darling."

"Dada come?"

Shelby nodded, "yeah, so how about we go watch TV until he gets here?"

"It's me" Hiram called as he walked into the house less than 20 minutes later, he told Shelby he'd be careful but he knew he hadn't exactly stayed within the speed limits, wanting to get home as quickly as he could.

"Dada" Rachel gasped, sliding from where she'd settled in Shelby's lap and racing into the hallway as quickly as she could. "Dada" she grabbed his hand, dragging him into the living room, "Momma's got owie. On her head."

"I know Darling, that's why I'm here." He lifted Rachel into his arms and kissed her hair, "we're going to take her to see Papa, he'll make her better, she'll be okay."

Shelby had taken the few moments without Rachel to try and perk herself up a little, she'd pushed herself up to sit properly on the couch and forced her eyes open, but an overwhelming dizziness and and a level of nausea she hadn't felt since the very early days of her pregnancy stopped her from standing.

"Shelby" Hiram said softly, "how are you feeling?"

She sighed, knowing she couldn't lie to him, "dizzy" she said honestly, "nauseous."

"Okay" he tried to hide his worry as he saw the blood soaked gauze she'd taped to her forehead, "we might be gone for a little while" Hiram told Rachel, "so why don't you go and grab some toys and books to take with us."

"You stay here?" Rachel asked.

Hiram nodded, "I'll stay here with Mommy" he promised.

"I'm sorry" Shelby whispered.

Hiram shook his head and reached for a tissue to try and clean Shelby's face a little. "You don't need to apologise Shelby, this was an accident, you couldn't help it."

"She was worried about my cramps the other day, and now this has scared her."

"You can't help getting your period Shelby, when Rachel's older, we'll be able to tell her the story about the time she was overly concerned for your uterus, and as for this, well, if it had been me at the park with her, if I'd have got hurt, would you have thought badly of me?"

"No I, no…"

"Then there's nothing to beat yourself up about. We'll get you patched up and it'll be fine."

Rachel came back in that moment, the backpack they'd used to take some toys to their appointment the previous day on her back, Benny in her arms, "Momma" she clambered onto the couch and pushed the stuffed bunny against Shelby's chest, "you need him" Benny always made her feel better when she was hurt, so she was more than willing to share him with her Mommy to make her feel better too.

"Oh Darling" Shelby wanted to cry, "I'm okay" she gently ran her hand over Rachel's hair and kissed forehead, "I've got you to make me feel better Sweet Girl.".

"You has Benny too" Rachel insisted before looking up at Hiram, "we go Papa now?"

"Yeah" Hiram stood and helped Shelby to her feet, putting his hands on her waist to support her when she stumbled slightly. "Okay?"

"Mhmm" Shelby closed her eyes as the room lurched around her, her stomach twisting at the sudden movement.

"Shelby" Hiram frowned, "do I need to call 911?"

She decided against shaking her head, instead opening her eyes again as she told him, "I'll be okay, can we just take it slowly though?"

"Of course" he kept his arm around Shelby's waist, helping her sit on the stairs so he could put her shoes on for her, correcting Rachel after she tried to help by putting her own shoes on, only to put them on the wrong feet.

"Do you want Benny?" Shelby asked her daughter as she scrambled into the back of the car, waiting patiently for Hiram to help Shelby before going to fasten her in.

"No Momma" Rachel shook her head, "you have him til you're better."

"Okay" Shelby knew she'd definitely be 'better' by bedtime so Rachel could have the bunny back, "but if you want him, you tell me okay?"

"Otay Momma, but you needs him now."

Hiram had called Leroy on his way home but he sent him a text before pulling off the drive, 'Shelby says she feels dizzy and nauseous. I pretty much had to carry her to the car. I hate to be 'that' relative but is there anything you can do to make sure she's seen quickly? xx'

The drive passed in almost complete silence, Hiram just speaking occasionally to get a response from Shelby when he saw her eyes flutter closed. Once again he had to help Shelby through the parking lot, his worry for the woman increasing when he noticed that she was struggling to put one foot in front of the other, leaning into him for support as she forced herself to keep going, "I think I'm going to…" Shelby didn't finish before she vomited into the bushes at the edge of the sidewalk, Rachel bursting into tears at the sight. "Hey" Shelby clumsily wiped at her mouth with the hand that wasn't holding Rachel's rabbit, "I'm okay Sweet Girl" she tried to reassure her, "I've got Benny. And we're going to see Papa, I'm okay."

Hiram had never been so pleased to see his husband, Leroy had been waiting outside the Emergency Room and raced over with a wheelchair as soon as he saw Hiram and Shelby. "Papa" Rachel cried, "Momma owie and she sick. Make her better!"

"She's vomited again" Hiram explained as Leroy sat Shelby in the wheelchair, the woman letting out a sigh of relief that she could close her eyes again and try and stop the world from spinning.

"Okay" Leroy nodded, dropping a kiss to Shelby's hair, "let's go get you looked at."

With Leroy pushing Shelby's wheelchair, Hiram was able to lift Rachel into his arms, "see" he said softly, wiping at her tears, "Papa's got Mommy now, he'll look after her."

"And Benny"

"And she's got Benny" Hiram kissed Rachel's hair again, "it was very kind of you to share him with Mommy."

"Papa fix her?"

"Papa will fix her." Hiram promised, hoping he was right, hoping that Shelby would be okay, that she wasn't too badly injured.

Leroy spoke briefly to someone at the reception desk before pushing Shelby straight back to be seen, he didn't work in the ER but he had friends who did and he'd been quick to pull in a few favours after Hiram's phone call. He knew that someone who was vomiting and dizzy after a head injury would be seen quickly anyway, but he wanted to be sure Shelby didn't have to wait a moment longer than necessary to be checked over.

Hiram kept hold of Rachel, bouncing her gently as a doctor examined Shelby, asking her several questions to try and get an idea of the severity of her head injury, needing to know if she was confused or disoriented.

Rachel watched on as a nurse came in, cleaning up the wound, Shelby closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, not wanting Rachel to be scared as the nurse gave Shelby a shot of local anaesthetic to numb the area before stitching up the cut, "Momma" Rachel whimpered.

"Yes Sweet Girl" Shelby turned her head towards Rachel.

Rachel put a hand to her own forehead, "owie?"

Shelby shook her head, "it's not owie Darling, the shot stopped it hurting." Shelby looked to Hiram, "she hasn't eaten since breakfast" she told him, "I offered to make her something when we got back from the park but she said she didn't want anything."

Hiram nodded, understanding Shelby didn't want Rachel in the room as her head was stitched up, "let's go find some lunch shall we?" Hiram asked his daughter, it was a little early but he knew it would get Rachel out of the way for a while.

"No" Rachel frowned, "Momma!" her Mommy was hurt, she couldn't leave her.

"I'm getting hungry Sweet Girl." Shelby lied, her stomach was still churning, "why don't you help Daddy find me something to eat?"

Rachel nodded eagerly, changing her mind when she realised she needed to help her Mommy, "I do it" she promised before looking to Leroy, "you?"

"I'm going to stay with Mommy" he told her.

"Do you want to take Benny with you?" Shelby asked, holding out the stuffed bunny she had in her lap.

Rachel shook her head, "you needs him Momma."

"Are you okay?" Hiram asked when he saw Rachel gazing up at him.

"Momma kisses?"

"Sure" Hiram put Rachel on the bed and Shelby was quick to wrap the girl in her arms, "I'm okay Darling, I promise" she kissed her forehead, "Papa's going to make me better."

Rachel nodded and nuzzled into Shelby, "lub you" she whispered.

Shelby kissed Rachel's hair, "I love you too Darling. To the moon and back."

Hiram took Rachel to the hospital cafeteria, letting her pick out sandwiches and snacks for everyone, the man not at all surprised when she made sure her Mommy had the same sandwich, fruit bag and bottle of juice that she chose for herself. He got a message from Leroy as he was waiting in line to pay for the food, Leroy letting him know that the doctor was sending Shelby for a CT scan just as a precaution, and asking if he could keep Rachel entertained for a while longer.

"Why don't we see if we can get a nice surprise for Mommy?" Hiram asked Rachel, leading Rachel into a small gift shop once he'd paid for their food. He explained that she wouldn't be able to take flowers or a balloon back to New York with her, and, after glancing around the shelves, it didn't take long for Rachel to spot the perfect gift for Shelby .

"Dada!" she tugged on his arm as she bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet, "look!" Hiram looked to where Rachel was pointing and smiled not needing to ask what she was pointing at. He knew there was no way Rachel was going to be convinced to get Shelby anything other than the stuffed rabbit she'd spotted, the toy almost identical to her own only this one was light brown in colour instead of grey. "We do?" she asked, "for Momma?"

"Yeah" he chuckled, taking it down from the shelf and handing it to Rachel, watching as she hugged it tightly, "let's go pay for it."

Rachel frowned as she was led back into the waiting area, she needed to see her Mommy, she needed to give her the bunny to make her feel better, she needed Benny to see his new friend. "Dada" she pouted as he sat down, lifting Rachel to sit beside him, "Momma?"

"Papa's with Mommy, she's okay. But you've got a very special job to do before we go back to see her."

Rachel's eyes lit up, she loved helping with 'special jobs' "What it Dada? What I do?"

Hiram smiled and ran his fingers through Rachel's hair, "you know how Mommy filled Benny with cuddles so every time you hug him you're getting a hug from her?" Rachel nodded, "well you need to hug Mommy's bunny too to fill it with cuddles for her, so when she's in New York she can hug it and get a hug from you."

"Yes!" Rachel clutched the rabbit tightly to her chest, "I do it! I do it good!" she said before repeatedly kissing the rabbit.

Like Shelby's doctor, Leroy thought Shelby was just suffering from concussion, however with her symptoms, he was grateful that they weren't taking any chances, that she'd be getting a scan to check there was nothing more sinister going on. Shelby turned down the nurse's offer to help her into a gown before her scan, instead asking Leroy if he'd help her. As much as she hated admitting she needed help, she still felt a little dizzy and the edges of her vision were blurring slightly like she was getting a migraine. Leroy could tell Shelby felt a little nervous, so, as he helped her change into the hospital gown, he talked her through everything, promising that, although he wouldn't be able to stay in the room, he wouldn't leave her.

Hiram managed to keep Rachel entertained until Leroy came to find them to let them know Shelby was back from her scan, "come on Sunshine" he lifted Rachel to his hip, "let's go show Mommy what we've got for her.

"Momma!" Rachel grinned from Hiram's arms when she saw her, "look" she held out the stuffed toy, "for you!"

"Oh wow!" Shelby blinked back tears, "that's lovely, thank you."

Rachel squirmed to be put down, handing over the rabbit when Hiram sat her on the bed, "look" she pointed to both of the stuffed toys, "same!"

"They are" Shelby brushed Rachel's hair back from her face before kissing her head, "this is going to make me feel a lot better."

"Rachel's given it a lot of cuddles" Hiram told her, "so any time you're missing her, you can hug your bunny and get a hug from Rachel.

Shelby smiled up at him, remembering him telling her that they'd told Rachel that Benny was full of snuggles from her, and she hugged the rabbit tightly, "you're right" she smiled, "it's just like a Rachel snuggle." It wasn't. Nothing would ever match the feeling of having her baby girl in her arms, but Shelby was happy to play along for Rachel's sake. "It needs a name though, can you help me think of something?"

Rachel's brow furrowed as she thought for a while before shrugging, "I no no Momma." She turned to her fathers, "what it name?" she asked.

"Well" Hiram smiled, "is it a boy or a girl?"

"'s a girl Dada" Rachel said decisively, "like me. An' Momma."

"A girl" Hiram hummed as he thought, Shelby chuckling at just how much Hiram's 'thoughtful' face mirrored Rachel's.

"What about Betty?" Leroy suggested before thinking of something else, "or Bonnie!"

"Yes!" Rachel giggled, "like Benny!"

"Bonnie it is then" Shelby smiled as she handed Benny back to Rachel, "I'll make sure I look after her just as well as you look after Benny!"

They ate lunch in Shelby's room, Shelby grateful for the medication she'd been given to stop her nausea, Rachel seemingly happy that the dressing over Shelby's stitches meant her Mommy was 'fixed' now. As far as the toddler was concerned, her Papa had done a great job looking after her Mommy.

Rachel had fallen asleep, tucked into Shelby's side by the time she was discharged, the scan had been clear so she was given a leaflet telling her how to take care of her stitches and another listing symptoms that she shouldn't ignore if her head injury was to worsen before being told she could go. Leroy didn't need the leaflets though, he knew what to look out for and he knew that he'd be keeping a close eye on Shelby, he'd never forgive himself if anything happened to her. Shelby thanked the doctor before sitting up on the bed, being as careful as possible not to disturb Rachel. She didn't manage it though and Rachel stirred as Shelby turned to sit on the edge of the bed, Leroy once again offering to help her change.

"Momma!" Rachel's eyes shot open as she felt Shelby move.

"It's okay" Shelby turned slightly to stroke Rachel's cheek, "I'm just sitting up, I'm going to get dressed and use the bathroom and then we can go home."

"You home?"

"I'm coming home" Shelby nodded, thanking Leroy as he helped her into her jeans, the man holding her steady as she stood and pulled them up under her gown.

Hiram frowned slightly as he realised Shelby's tshirt was stained with her blood, "here" he slipped off his sweater, he was wearing a shirt underneath so he didn't mind Shelby using it, "I'll put your shirt into soak with some stain remover when we get home, see if we can save it."

Shelby smiled, "thank you". Leroy took the sweater from his husband and pulled it over Shelby's head, being careful not to catch her dressing, pulling the body of the sweater down before untying the gown and allowing Shelby to slip it off, making sure she stayed covered.

"Do you want to…" he held out her bra, she hadn't been able to wear anything with metal in when she was in the scanner so she'd had to take it off.

Shelby shook her head, "I'll put it back on when we get home" she said, putting her arms into the sleeves of the sweater before pushing her bra into Rachel's backpack.

"Okay then" Leroy scooped Rachel into his arms and covered her in kisses, smiling as she giggled happily, "let's get you girls home."


	12. Chapter 12

Rachel fell asleep again on the way home, and, as Hiram carried her inside and settled her on the couch, Leroy gently took Shelby's hand and led her upstairs, "what...?" she frowned slightly as she was lead into the master bathroom.

"Just wait here" Leroy sat Shelby on the edge of the bed, "I'll be back in a minute."

Shelby was confused as she watched Leroy walk back into the room a short while later, the plastic stepstool Rachel used in the bathroom upturned in his hands, the base filled with, what seemed to be towels. He disappeared into the ensuite before returning empty handed and holding out his hands to help Shelby to her feet. "I don't understand" she whispered as she was lead into the ensuite.

"You need to keep your stitches dry" Leroy told her, "but you've got quite a lot of blood in your hair, I thought it would be easier in here because the shower's over the tub."

Shelby still didn't understand, "what would be easier?" she frowned.

"Sit down" Leroy gestured to the step stool by the bath, "I'll wash your hair."

Shelby felt tears pricking at her eyes, "Leroy, you, you don't have to do that."

"I know" he swiped at a lone tear with his thumb, "but I want to. I know you're strong and independent, it's one of the many reasons Hiram and I love you, but please, just for today at least, let us take care of you."

Shelby nodded, knowing Leroy wasn't going to take no for an answer, "thank you, how do you…"

"Sit with your back against the tub" Leroy gestured to the stepstool again. He helped her sit on the stool before rolling up a hand towel, balancing it against the edge of the tub to cushion it as he encouraged Shelby to lean back, "is that comfortable?" he asked, getting a nod in response, "okay" he reached for the shower head, letting the water run over his hand before briefly bringing it to Shelby's head, "is that okay?"

"Yeah" Shelby sighed happily, closing her eyes as she felt Leroy wet her hair, being careful around her hairline, wetting her hair but managing to keep her dressing dry. Shelby wanted to cry when she heard Leroy open a bottle, knowing from the scent that it was her own shampoo Leroy was massaging into her scalp. He rinsed her hair once he thought it was clean, running his fingers through the front of her hair to see if he'd missed anything before deciding to shampoo it a second time just in case. Once he'd rinsed again he took his time, massaging her scalp as he applied conditioner to her long dark locks, "am I hurting you?" he asked when he heard her groan softly.

"No" she didn't open her eyes, "it feels good. I wish I'd have known how good you were at this when I was pregnant, I'd have had you massaging my head and my feet" she joked, remembering just how often Leroy had tried to help with her aching feet in the later stages of her pregnancy.

Leroy laughed, "you don't need to be pregnant Shelby, "any time you want me to do this, you just need to ask."

"I'll keep that in mind" Shelby smiled as Leroy continued massaging her scalp.

He wrapped a towel around her hair after rinsing the conditioner from it, gently drying her hair before helping her sit up properly, "how are you feeling? Any dizziness, nausea?"

Shelby shook her head, "no dizziness and I think the medication they gave me at the hospital is still helping with the nausea."

"Okay" he helped her to her feet, "what about now?"

"A little dizzy" Shelby said honestly, "but not as bad as before."

"How's the pain?" Leroy knew the hospital had avoided giving her too much pain relief in case the side effects masked any symptoms of a more serious head injury."

"I think it's the damage to my ego that hurts the most. My head does hurt a little, but it's not too bad, it's bearable."

"Good, tell me if it gets any worse, or if you notice any changes in your vision, or if the nausea or dizziness worsen" he held up his hand when he saw her go to protest, "you're not going to get me to back down on this one, for tonight at least I'm going to be fussing over you whether you like it or not. I would never forgive myself, and Rachel would never forgive me, if I missed anything that indicated things were getting worse. Now" he didn't give Shelby time to reply, "shampoo and conditioner I can do, but you might have to walk me through blowdrying."

Shelby chuckled, "it's fine, I'll just let it air dry, you've done enough. And anyway, I'm not sure if I'll be able to put up with the noise of the hairdryer."

"Okay" Leroy reached out, checking the edges of the dressing were still secure, "let's get you comfortable downstairs, I'm sure Rachel will want to be with you when she wakes.

"I'm sorry" Shelby said softly, "that I scared her."

"It was an accident Shelby, these things happen, you got hurt, now you're getting better, Rachel knows Hiram and I won't let you come to any harm."

Shelby found herself tucked into Hiram's side after Leroy led her downstairs, she was grateful for his help, she still felt a little dizzy and wasn't sure she was ready to tackle the stairs alone. Leroy smiled as he came out of the kitchen with tea for the three of them, seeing Shelby curled into Hiram, her head on his shoulder, his arm around her waist, Shelby and Rachel were far more alike than they could ever have imagined.

"Lee" Hiram said a little while later, "is she okay to fall asleep?" He'd noticed Shelby's head beginning to lol against his shoulder but he wasn't sure if he should be trying to keep her awake.

"Yeah" Leroy nodded, "she's not showing any signs of a serious head injury, she's fine, in fact the rest will do her good". Without being asked he stood, making his way upstairs to get a blanket for her, Rachel currently wrapped in the throw from the back of the couch.

"Do you know where Shelby's rabbit is?" Hiram asked as Leroy tucked the blanket around Shelby, "I don't want Rachel to be upset if she wakes up and sees Shelby hasn't got it."

Leroy nodded and went to get Bonnie from where Shelby had left her at the bottom of the stairs, gently tucking the stuffed animal under Shelby's arm, smiling as she snuggled into it, exactly the same way Rachel did, "how did we get so lucky?" he asked as he sat down, watching Shelby sleep in Hiram's arms.

"I don't know" Hiram smiled, "but if Rachel grows up to be half the woman her Mommy is then she'll be able to conquer the world."

"I don't doubt that" Leroy agreed, "I don't doubt that at all."

Hiram and Leroy watched a movie as Rachel and Shelby slept, Rachel the first to wake, "Dada" she yawned, clumsily rubbing at her eyes, "wha' Momma do?" she asked as she sat up, blanket wrapped around her shoulders like a cape, Benny in her lap.

"Mommy's having a nap, just like you have."

Rachel climbed onto Hiram's lap, looking closely at Shelby, "Momma better now?"

Hiram nodded and brushed Rachel's hair from her face, "she's going to have an owie, like when you fall down and scrape your knee, but it'll get better, Papa's made it better, she's got a bandaid on it and, most importantly, she's had cuddles from her special little girl and from her bunny."

Rachel's face lit up when she saw her Mommy snuggling with the bunny, her Mummy would be better really soon now she had a bunny full of cuddles to help "she got it" Rachel beamed, "like I got Benny!"

"That's right Sunshine, Mommy's got her bunny just like you have."

"Dadda" Rachel reached out, fingertips brushing against Shelby's hair, she'd never seen her Mommy with her natural curls before, Shelby usually blow dried her hair straight, "wha' it do."

"Mommy has curly hair" he explained, "Papa helped her wash it when we got home because she was a bit icky, and when her hair gets wet it looks like this."

Rachel tugged gently at her own hair, "No same like me?"

"Not right now , but when Mommy blow dries it, then it looks like yours doesn't it?"

"Yeah" Rachel nodded, "after we wowa."

Hiram let Rachel snuggle into him, watching as her tiny fingers reached out to rest against Shelby's hand, he and Leroy had both noticed that, whenever she was close to Shelby, Rachel seemed to need physical contact with her Mommy, and Shelby was only too happy to provide it. "I think you and Mommy might need to take a bath in the morning Sunshine, Mommy needs to keep her owie dry for a little while."

"I help her" Rachel nodded, "we have bubbles, I know them are."

"I'm sure Mommy will love that."

"Love what?" Shelby yawned, taking hold of Rachel's hand properly as she woke.

"We baftime no wowa, and bubbles, I know it." Rachel grinned, holding out her arms to Shelby.

Shelby didn't move from where she was curled into Hiram, but she lifted the blanket she was wrapped in, allowing Rachel to crawl onto her lap as Hiram translated, "I was just telling Rachel the two of you will have to share a bath instead of a shower in the morning because you need to keep your owie dry, Rachel is more than happy to show you where the bubbles are."

"That sounds lovely." Shelby kissed Rachel's head as the girl made herself comfortable, "I can't wait."

"You owie?" Rachel asked, glancing up at Shelby's head.

"I'm okay" she reassured her, "it was owie but it feels better now I've had a nap. And I'm having cuddles with my Sweet Girl and my magic bunny, that makes everything better."

"Do you need any painkillers?" Leroy asked Shelby, the woman jumping slightly, not realising he was there.

"I'm okay for now" she told him, "I think the anaesthetic's wearing off but it's not too bad right now".

"Okay" Leroy trusted Shelby to tell him if she was in pain, "let me know if that changes. Do you still feel dizzy?"

"I'm okay right now, but I haven't really moved much, I don't feel quite so queasy though."

"That's good, resting will help, as silly as it sounds, giving your brain a break will help the concussion."

"That makes sense" Shelby yawned slightly, "if I sprained my ankle I'd rest that so I guess I need to try not to think too much."

"Just let us look after you, you don't need to be superwoman in this house. We won't judge you if you need help."

"I know" Shelby smiled, "this was the first place I ever felt comfortable truly being myself."

Hiram's grip tightened on Shelby hugging her closer as he told her, "I'm glad to hear that."

Leroy nodded in agreement, "that will never change Shelby, you will always be welcome in this house, and we will welcome you exactly as you are. If you want to celebrate a success, we're here. If you're broken and you need help putting yourself back together, we're here. You need to hide away from the world for a little while, our door is always open for you."

It was no surprise to anyone that Rachel was like Shelby's shadow for the rest of the afternoon, she even accompanied her Mommy to the bathroom, holding her hand and constantly checking that she was okay. Shelby allowed her daughter to stay close to her, letting Rachel sit on her lap, reassuring the girl that she was okay, that she wasn't 'owie' anymore.

"Sunshine" Leroy smiled when he saw Rachel trying to climb onto Shelby's lap at the table, "Mommy can't eat her dinner if you're sitting on her."

"But Papa…"

Shelby intervened before Rachel could get too upset, pulling the girl's chair closer, "how about you sit here?" she asked softly, "you'll be right next to me but we'll both be able to eat our dinner?"

Rachel looked at the chair, eyes darting between her parents before she nodded, "I sit dere" she agreed, letting Shelby sit her in the chair, right next to her Mommy. "You like?" she asked as she clumsily stabbed a piece of chicken with a blue plastic fork.

"I do" Shelby nodded, Hiram had made a simple meal of chicken, potatoes and vegetables, keeping things fairly plain to try and stop Shelby from feeling queasy again. "Do you?"

"Yep" Rachel grinned, "is nice."

"Good" Shelby smiled, "eat it up then."

Rachel nodded, "I do it all so I be big like you."

"Good girl" Shelby smiled as she gently ran her hand over Rachel's hair.

Shelby didn't even attempt to try and put Rachel to sleep in her own bed that evening, instead heading straight for the guest room with her daughter. "Momma" Rachel frowned, "no!"

"No?" Shelby was confused, "you want me to put you in your bed?"

"No" Rachel reached up from where she sat on Shelby's hip, "you gots owie Momma."

"I know Darling but it's okay, it's getting better."

"No" Rachel sighed, her Mommy didn't understand, "you got owie, you hasta s'eep DadaPapa bed."

"I'm okay Darling, I can sleep in my own bed, it's okay."

"No. You need Dada an' Papa" Rachel didn't understand, snuggling with Daddy and Papa always made her feel better when she was hurt, why wouldn't her Mommy want that too? Daddy and Papa were really, really good at snuggling her and making her feel better.

"Do you want to sleep in Daddy and Papa's bed?" Shelby asked.

Rachel nodded, "and you too."

Shelby wasn't sure how to explain this to Rachel, "I don't think Daddy and Papa will want me to sleep in their bed Darling. I've got my own bed."

"No Momma, you need it, you need it!" Rachel insisted.

"Is everything okay?" although he hadn't been able to make out the words, Hiram had heard Shelby and Rachel chatting, had heard Rachel beginning to sound a little agitated so he'd made his way upstairs to see if Shelby needed help with their daughter.

"Dada!" Rachel was glad to see him, maybe he'd be able to make her Mommy realise that she needed to sleep in Daddy and Papa's bed. "Momma sick."

"Shelby?" Hiram began to worry, had Shelby vomited again? Did he need to get Leroy? Did Shelby need to go back to the hospital?

"I'm okay" Shelby reassured him, "nothing's happened."

"No" Rachel yelled, "Momma no okay" tears filled her eyes, "she owie and she no say sleep you bed Dada."

"She wants me to sleep in your bed" she said softly as she wiped at Rachel's tears, "I've been trying to explain that you and Leroy won't want me sleeping in your bed, that I've got my own bed."

Hiram took a moment to weigh up the situation, Rachel was obviously tired, she was getting frustrated and she was clearly still worried about her Mommy being hurt, "would you be comfortable sleeping in our bed?" he asked, it wouldn't be the first time Shelby had slept in Hiram and Leroy's bed, there had been many times during her pregnancy when Leroy had been on a night shift and she and Hiram had fallen asleep whilst watching a movie together, Leroy joining them when he returned home.

"I…"

"P'ease Momma" Rachel begged, "DadaPapa look afa you."

Shelby sighed and nodded, "okay" she nodded, "but just for tonight" she told Rachel, "tomorrow I'm going to sleep in my own bed."

"You make yourself comfortable" Hiram gestured to the bedroom, "I'll go let Leroy know what's happening."

Shelby made her way into the room, hovering by the doorway, not wanting to intrude on Hiram and Leroy's personal space, the room was exactly how she remembered it being and she couldn't help but smile as she thought back to all the times she'd spent in here, talking about anything and everything with Hiram as they watched movies together with a bowl of popcorn wedged between them. "C'mon Momma" Rachel pointed towards the bed, "bedtime."

"Rachel I…" Shelby still wasn't sure this was a good idea, but she was interrupted by a hand on her back.

"Make yourself comfortable" Hiram said softly, "Leroy's going to turn everything off downstairs and then come up, we thought we could watch a movie or something up here once Rachel's settled.

"Okay" Shelby nodded, "but if you want me to go back to my own room…"

"We'll let you know" Hiram promised.

Shelby found herself sandwiched between Hiram and Leroy once everyone had used the bathroom and got into bed, Rachel curled up on Shelby's lap, happy that her Mommy was going to be looked after. "Momma" Rachel said quietly as she gazed up at Shelby, "sing me?"

Shelby hummed quietly for a minute or two before kissing Rachel's head and beginning to sing, "_How long will I love you? As long as stars are above you, and longer if I can. How long will I need you? As long as the seasons need to follow their plan_." Hiram found himself wiping away a tear as Rachel shuffled in Shelby's embrace, settling down and beginning to relax as her Mommy sang to her. "_How long will I be with you? As long as the sea is bound to wash up on the sand. How long will I want you? As long as you want me to, and longer by far_".

"Momma" Rachel yawned.

Shelby kissed Rachel's hair again, "close your eyes Sweet Girl" she said softly, "it's time to sleep." Rachel nodded, letting her head fall against Shelby's chest as Shelby continued to sing "_How long will I hold you? As long as your father told you, as long as you can. How long will I give to you? As long as I live through you, however long you say_." Rachel's eyes fluttered closed, her body relaxing against her Mommy as she gave in to sleep, but Shelby finished the song, wanting to be sure Rachel was definitely asleep. "_How long will I love you? As long as stars are above you, and longer if I may. How long will I love you? As long as stars are above you_."

Hiram leaned over to gently kiss Shelby's cheek once she was done, "I can't believe that you're the nervous young thing we first met all those years ago" be told her, "and I can't believe you only met Rachel for the first time a couple of weeks ago."

"I have to agree" Leroy nodded, "you're a natural with her Shel, seeing your confidence grow as a mother is a beautiful thing." He reached for the TV remote by the bed, "now, what do you want to watch?"

Shelby shrugged, "you should probably pick something, I think I'm just going to take a leaf out of Rachel's book and try and go to sleep too."

"Okay" Leroy chose a film that he thought Shelby would like too, just in case she didn't fall asleep easily, "let me know if you want me to turn it down."

"I live in New York" Shelby shuffled to lay down, Rachel shifting to accommodate Shelby's new position, sprawing out across her Mommy's chest, "background noise isn't going to stop me falling asleep."

"No" he chucked, "I guess it isn't." He saw her let out a yawn, "Goodnight Shelby."

"Goodnight." She smiled as she felt Hiram press a kiss to the top of her head.

"Sweet dreams."

"Thank you" she yawned again as her eyes began to close, "for everything."

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Lyrics in italics 'How Long Will I Love You?' by Ellie Goulding


	13. Chapter 13

I'm really enjoying writing this fic at the moment, I hope you're all enjoying reading it too! My only problem is, I have so many ideas that I'm struggling to put them all in some sort of logical order!

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Guest - I am planning on Shelby, Hiram and Leroy becoming a 'thing' and I know exactly when and how it's going to come about, but I want to build up to it and not just have it come out of nowhere.

Gwenni49 - Absolutley not, little Rachel is mine and I'm keeping her lol. In fact it occured to me the other day that she's going to have to grow up during the course of this fic and I realised that I'm going to miss this toddler version of her! I don't think it's just your heart that's going to break when Shelby goes back to NY, I can think of three other people who are going to be equally devastated. We just alll have to beliee that it will all work out in the end

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Both Shelby and Rachel slept through the alarm the next morning but it woke both Hiram and Leroy, despite the fact that Leroy was the only one getting up. Hiram had worked from home for six months after Rachel's birth, and then he only went back three days a week, he'd recently increased that to four but Rachel loved daycare and would sometimes sulk at the weekends because she wouldn't get to see her friends, so she didn't mind at all that she got to go to daycare more often as her Daddy slowly went back to working five days a week.

"She was singing to Rachel in Hebrew at 4.30 this morning" Hiram said quietly, Leroy had a little time before he had to start getting ready, especially as he didn't have to worry about getting Rachel up and dressed, and their conversation had turned to Shelby's head injury.

"It was closer to 5" Shelby mumbled as she woke, "and I didn't mean to wake you."

Hiram chuckled quietly, "I'll never complain to being woken to the sound of you singing."

"And we'll never complain about you settling your baby back to sleep" Leroy told her. "How are you feeling?" he asked, noticing Shelby hadn't opened her eyes yet.

"M'okay" she yawned, "head's a little sore but nothing I can't put up with."

"Can I take the dressing off and have a look?"

Shelby nodded, "but take it as a complement to your bedside manner if I fall back to sleep while you're doing it."

Leroy brushed Shelby's hair back from her face before carefully peeling back the dressing, nodding slightly as he examined the wound, the stitches were neat and it was showing no signs of infection, "I won't lie, it's not pretty right now, but it's looking as good as I could expect it to, and I think, when it's healed, the scar will be hidden in your hairline, you should be okay to leave the dressing off now."

"It's probably a good job I haven't got any auditions lined up when I get back" Shelby mumbled, the end of her sentence swallowed by a yawn.

Leroy chuckled, "go back to sleep, I'm going to leave you in Hiram's care and get ready for work."

Shelby didn't need to be told, was already well on her way back to sleep, and she managed just a quiet "'kay" before she dozed off again.

It was a little after seven the next time she woke, Rachel shifting against her as she began to stir. She felt Hiram move beside her too, the man reaching out to gently stroke Rachel's back. "Hi" he smiled when he saw Shelby's eyes flutter open.

"Hi" she smiled sleepily before kissing Rachel's hair.

"If you feel up to it, there's a play group this morning I thought we could take Rachel to" he said after giving Shelby a little time to wake up.

"That sounds good" Shelby smiled, she and Hiram both chuckling when Rachel grumbled quietly and snuggled further into Shelby, seemingly not ready to wake just yet. "I was going to take her to the music group yesterday afternoon, but…" she gestured to her head.

Hiram smiled, "that's okay, there's another music group tomorrow morning if you still want to take her, it's the exact same group, it just runs twice a week."

"Okay" Shelby nodded, "I might take her tomorrow then."

"I'm sure she'll love it, but then again, she seems to love anything she gets to do with you, even sleeping, she never sleeps this late, and you've had her do it twice in a week, you're going to have to tell us your secrets so we can get in on it too."

"Grow breasts and let her use them as a pillow?" Shelby joked, "I really don't know, she just lays on me and sleeps, it just happens."

"She used to sleep like that on us all the time when she was tiny" Hiram smiled, "when she was first born it was the only place she'd sleep, laying against one of us, everyone said we'd spoil her by letting her sleep in our arms, but she was so small, and if that was where she was comfortable then that was where we'd let her sleep."

Shelby smiled and shuffled slightly so she could lay her head on Hiram's shoulder, "what was she like?" she asked him, "as a baby."

Hiram smiled as he thought back, "the first few weeks were tough, I think Leroy and I had this rose tinted vision. That we'd have this cute little baby who never cried, who slept well and took her bottles without issues, but Rachel had other ideas, I think it was almost two weeks before any of us managed to sleep for more than an hour at a time, but then we found out she had reflux. She got some medicine and Leroy and I found our feet and got into a routine with her and she was, she still is perfect. She was just like she is now, she was always smiling and once she found her giggle, we thought we'd never stop hearing it, she laughed at everything. And then she started walking and talking and to our dismay, she learned to say 'no' she wouldn't go in her stroller, she wanted to walk everywhere, she wanted to do everything for herself. We've got thousands of pictures and hundreds of home videos too, we'll find them out, let you see them."

"I'd like that" Shelby smiled, "and I'm glad, I'm glad that she's happy, I knew you and Leroy would raise her well, I wouldn't have carried her for you if I didn't, but seeing, knowing that she's happy, that you've loved her as much as I hoped you would, I'm really grateful for that."

"We're so grateful that you let us raise her, that you trusted us enough to walk away and leave us with your baby." Hiram ran his fingers through Shelby's hair and smiled as he thought of something, "there was one time, I'd say she was maybe two or three months old, we'd finally got on top of her reflux, she had one of those electric rocking swings and we found that, if we fed and winded her and then sat her in there for a while it would help, she was fairly upright so it helped her keep her milk down and the swinging settled her."

"I remember you and Leroy arguing about putting it together" Shelby interrupted.

"Yes, well…" Hiram chuckled, "it was a life saver, but one day Leroy's mom was here, sticking her nose in, telling us we were doing everything wrong, anyway, we fed Rachel, winded her, settled her in the swing, she was fine. Leroy's Mom told us we needed to 'lay her down in her crib' to nap. We both tried to tell her, but she wouldn't listen, she insisted on laying Rachel flat on her back on the couch to swaddle her in a blanket and then she picked her up to carry her upstairs, only Rachel hadn't had enough time in the swing to digest her milk, she started crying almost as soon as she was laid down and then when Leroy's Mom picked her up, Rachel projectile vomited all down her back, I had to leave the room to hide my laughter."

"Oh" Shelby bit her lip, "I think I'd have had to join you."

"It certainly was an efficient way of getting her to listen to our parenting choices, she never questioned us again."

"Does she see her often?" Shelby asked, gently trailing her fingers up and down Rachel's back, she'd only met Leroy's Mom once during her pregnancy, but the woman had taken an intense dislike to Shelby.

"No" Hiram continued to comb his fingers through Shelby's curls, "she visits for Rachel's birthday, but we try to keep her at arms length. She erm, she had a few choice things to say about you and Leroy and I made it clear that, if it wasn't for you, she wouldn't have a granddaughter, and that we weren't going to allow her to badmouth you in front of us, and we certainly weren't going to let her do it in front of Rachel."

"You, you told her that?"

"We did. Ideally we wanted Rachel to grow up with you around so she could form her own opinions of you, but if we couldn't have that, we wanted her to know how kind, how generous and compassionate you are. How you loved us enough to give us a part of yourself, that you put your life on hold for a little while to give us the one thing we wanted more than anything else in the world. She might be her grandmother but, whether you're here or not, you're Rachel's mother, her Mommy, we wanted her to know how you used to sing to her, how you'd talk to her when you thought nobody was listening, how you'd read to her and play music to her, we didn't want her hearing whatever lies that bitter old woman made up about you."

"Thank you."

Hiram shook his head, "there's nothing to thank me for. You have always and will always be Rachel's Mom, that's the end of it, the only person who's opinion of you truly matters is currently asleep in your arms, and I think that says everything we need to know about what she thinks of you."

Hiram and Shelby's conversation continued until Rachel let out a loud yawn and stretched out across Shelby, her fingertips gently stroking at Shelby's stomach, as she always seemed to do, Rachel had pushed Shelby's top up as she slept to rest her hand against her Mommy's bare skin, "hi" she beamed after taking a minute or two to wake up.

"Hi Sweet Girl" Shelby smiled, "did you sleep well?"

Rachel nodded and moved to sit up on her Mommy's stomach, Shelby bending her knees, letting Rachel sit back against her thighs, "yep!" She grinned at Hiram, "you 'nuggle Momma?" she asked him.

"Of course" he nodded, "that's why you wanted her to sleep in here right? So we could make her feel better."

"You did it good" Rachel nodded before looking at Shelby's head . "Oh no!" she frowned, putting her hands on Shelby's chest and leaning forward from where she sat on her stomach, gently brushing her lips across Shelby's forehead, kissing just below her cut, "there" she grinned as she sat back up, "I kiss it better!"

"Thank you Darling, it already feels a lot better."

"Good" Rachel grinned, she didn't like her Mommy having an owie, so she was happy that she'd managed to convince her to let Daddy and Papa look after her, and that she herself could give her Mommy magic kisses to help. "We food now?"

"Of course" Hiram smiled, "let's go get breakfast."

Shelby and Rachel shared a bath after breakfast, Rachel, as she promised, showing Shelby where her favourite bubble bath was kept, Shelby making sure to add a generous amount of the strawberry scented liquid to the warm water in the tub.

Before getting in the bath, Shelby pulled her hair back into a messy bun on the top of her head to stop it getting wet, and, when she saw what her Mommy was doing, Rachel insisted she wanted her hair up too, she didn't want her hair washing if her Mommy wasn't washing her hair and, as Shelby tied Rachel's hair up out of the way, she hoped that Hiram wouldn't mind the girl not having her hair washed.

She'd been warned that Rachel loved bathtime and she really did, before getting into the tub, Rachel had pointed Shelby to a plastic tub full of bath toys that Shelby dropped into the water, much to Rachel's delight.

Rachel loved bathtime. It was right up there with cuddles in her rocking chair as one of her favourite things. Sometimes her Daddy and her Papa let her spend a really long time in the tub, those were her best days. She loved showering with her Mommy too, but now, because her Mommy had an owie, she got to share a bath with her. Mommy had put way more bubbles than Daddy and Papa did into the bath, she'd put all her toys in there, and she was letting Rachel sit on her lap as they played with her boats, her ducks and her fishys, and Mommy didn't seem in a hurry to make her get out.

Shelby couldn't help but smile as she watched Rachel play, the girl was sat on her thighs, concentrating hard as she tried to balance a rubber duck on top of her plastic boat. "Momma" she pouted, "it no do."

"Try the baby duck" Shelby suggested, "I think that one's a bit big."

Rachel nodded and fished in the bubbles for the smaller duck, giggling when her hand brushed against Shelby's leg, "I gots you Momma" she laughed as she tried to tickle Shelby's calf.

Shelby laughed, "you have, but you know what?"

"Wha' Momma?" Rachel asked innocently.

"I've got you too" Shelby grinned as she began to tickle Rachel's sides.

Hiram couldn't help but smile, he'd showered in his ensuite and was making his way downstairs when he heard Rachel's laughter echoing from the bathroom, the man having absolutely no doubt that finding Shelby again was the best thing he'd done in a long time, he just hoped Rachel wouldn't be too upset when she went back to New York. There was something about Shelby's presence in the house, something Hiram couldn't quite put his finger on, but it felt like she was the missing piece, like their family hadn't quite been complete until she was a part of it again.

"I think it's time to get out now" Shelby said when the water began to cool, the bubbles fading into nothingness.

Rachel nodded in agreement, "cold" she pouted, and the water wasn't quite so fun now the bubbles were gone.

"Okay, let's wash quickly and then we can get out" Shelby smiled, reaching for Rachel's wash cloth and her own shower gel to wash her daughter.

Shelby got out of the water first, drying herself quickly before wrapping the towel around her body and reaching for Rachel, bundling her up in a soft fluffy towel and rubbing noses with her, "we dress now?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah" Shelby nodded, "we need to put clothes on, and we need to brush our hair too."

"Okay" Rachel nuzzled into Shelby as she was carried from the bathroom, "then we do?"

Shelby sat Rachel on the bed in the guest room, "Daddy thought you might like to go to playgroup" she said as she began drying her daughter.

"And you come?" Rachel asked with a frown.

"Of course Darling, me you and Daddy will all go."

"Oh, okay" Rachel nodded, happy that she'd be able to show all her friends that her Mommy was here, "I needs clothes on Momma."

"You do, you're right" Shelby took Rachel's hand when the girl was dry, "let's go find you something to wear." She was glad that Hiram was already downstairs as Rachel led her across the hall, completely oblivious to the fact her Mommy was still only wearing a towel.

Shelby helped Rachel choose clothes that would be comfortable and practical for playing in, and it was only once she was dressed that Rachel noticed Shelby's attire, "Momma" she put her hands on her hips, "you needs put clothes on!"

"Do I?" Shelby pretended she didn't know what Rachel was talking about.

"Uh-huh" Rachel nodded, hands still on her hips, "You gots to! Is playtime now, no more bathtime."

Shelby looked down at herself and pretended to be surprised that she was still just in her towel, "you're right!" she told her, "silly me!"

"Is okay Momma" Rachel reached for Shelby's hand, "c'mon, I he'p you get clothes on, you be okay."

"I know" Shelby gently squeezed Rachel's hand as she was led back towards the guestroom, "I'll always be okay when I'm with you."


	14. Chapter 14

Rachel loved having her Mommy take her to play with her friends, her Daddy was fun, and she liked it when it was just him, but having her Mommy here too was the best thing, she could tell all her friends that she had a Mommy too just like they did, only her Mommy lived a long way away and couldn't see her all the time.

Shelby stayed by Rachel's side for a while, Rachel telling anyone who'd listen that Shelby was her Mommy, emphasising the 'my' in "My Momma" so nobody was in any doubt who she belonged to. Eventually though, the novelty wore off and Rachel allowed Shelby to join Hiram and the other parents, sat around the edge of the room, Rachel's attention focused on the game she wanted to play with some of the other children.

Hiram was talking to a small group of Moms when Shelby joined them, and he was quick to introduce her as 'Shelby, Rachel's Mom.' Even though they'd signed the new contract, agreed that Shelby would be an equal party in Rachel's upbringing, she was still surprised that he introduced her as Rachel's Mom without a thought.

None of the other women seemed surprised to hear that Shelby was Rachel's Mom, and Shelby quickly found herself included in the conversation, being asked about herself, her life in New York, nobody seeming to judge her for not being a constant presence in her daughter's life.

They'd been there for almost an hour when Rachel tripped as she ran across the room, the girl beginning to cry almost instantly, she wasn't hurt too much, the floor was covered in thick foam mats specifically for this reason, it was more the shock of the fall that had scared her. Shelby and Hiram both saw it happen and shared a brief glance, Hiram giving the slightest of nods to Shelby before she raced to her daughter's side, "come here Sweet Girl" she whispered, kneeling beside the toddler curled on the floor and lifting her into her arms.

Rachel cried harder as she clung to her Momma, she didn't know why, her knee hurt a little bit but not too much, so she wasn't sure why she was still crying, especially not when her Momma was giving her a big cuddle. "Momma."

"I know" Shelby kissed Rachel's hair as she knelt on the floor, rocking the girl in her arms, "shall we go and sit with Daddy for a little bit until you feel better?"

"Yeah" Rachel sobbed, wrapping her arms around Shelby as she was carried back to where Hiram was sitting.

"Oh Sunshine" he gently stroked Rachel's back, "so many tears."

Rachel snuggled closer to Shelby but didn't stop Hiram stroking her back, in fact, she quite liked it, having her Mommy and her Daddy comforting her. "Do you think she's the t word?" Shelby had noticed how Hiram and Leroy never used the word 'tired' in front of Rachel, so she didn't either.

Hiram nodded, "maybe. Rachel baby, do you want to go home? We can have some lunch and then all curl up and watch a movie together" he knew that mentioning a nap might lead to a tantrum from the tired toddler.

"Momma too?" Rachel looked up at Hiram with a pout, tears still shining in her eyes.

"Me too" Shelby promised.

"An'have beebeejays?"

Hiram smiled and nodded, saying his goodbyes to the other parents as he helped Rachel into her jacket, "we can have PB and Js, sure."

Rachel was still sniffling quietly as she was strapped into the car, so Shelby leaned over, kissing both her knees, "there we go" she remembered what Rachel had said to her that morning, "I've kissed it better so we can stop with these tears now can't we Sweet Girl?" she said as she wiped Rachel's tears away and kissed her nose.

"I t'y Momma" Rachel nodded, she wanted to stop crying, she wanted to be happy.

"That's good" Shelby nodded before asking, "what's wrong Darling?" when she noticed Rachel twisting and turning in her seat.

"Benny?" Rachel whispered.

"We didn't bring him" Shelby stroked Rachel's cheek, he's at home, in your bed. She knew her daughter was tired and didn't want her getting more upset so she suggested, "why don't I sit in the back with you so you're not on your own? Then we can get Benny for you when we get home."

Rachel nodded, "you ho'd my hand?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah" Shelby smiled, "of course I will."

Hiram was impressed that Shelby managed to keep Rachel awake on the drive home, keeping the girl talking and singing nursery rhymes with her to stop her falling asleep, wanting her to eat her lunch before she had a nap.

Despite sleeping later than usual that morning, Rachel fell asleep in Shelby's arms almost as soon as they settled down on the couch. Rachel snuggled happily into Shelby, she was holding tightly to Benny, her Mommy was snuggling her and she was tucked up warm in a blanket as her Mommy hummed quietly to her. She smiled sleepily at her Mommy, getting a kiss to her forehead in response and a quiet whisper of, "close your eyes Sweet Girl" and, even though she wasn't tired at all and she absolutely didn't need to nap, Rachel closed her eyes anyway, content to be held for a while.

Once Rachel was asleep, Hiram turned off the animated movie he'd put on for Rachel to watch as she fell asleep, "here" he handed the remote to Shelby when there was a knock at the door, "find something for us to watch."

Shelby flicked through the channels, not seeing anything she was particularly bothered about watching, but eventually she settled on a repeat of an old sitcom that she, Hiram and Leroy had all watched together when Shelby had lived with them, so she knew Hiram wouldn't mind watching it either. It didn't really matter what was on the TV, Shelby's attention kept being drawn to the toddler sleeping in her arms, like she wanted to memorise every last detail, wanted to savour every moment she spent with the girl.

"You've had a delivery from Amazon" Hiram smiled as he offered the flat brown cardboard envelope to Shelby.

"Oh" with everything that had happened the previous day she'd forgotten that she'd ordered it. "It's for Rachel, I probably should have mentioned it to you and Leroy first, it's erm, it's a calendar, one of the ones you add your own pictures to. I thought that maybe, when the pictures came back from the photo shoot you could help her put them in there, and then when we arrange a visit she can mark it on the calendar and have a visual as to how long it's going to be."

Hiram smiled, "that's a lovely idea Shelby."

"Really? If I'm stepping over a line then you can tell me, I won't…"

"You're being a mother Shelby, that's all Leroy and I have ever wanted. Anything that helps her feel better when you're apart is a good thing, and you're right, having something that shows when she's going to see you next is going to be better than just telling her that she'll see you at some point." Hiram thought for a moment, "Leroy and I have spoken about this too, we can't make any promises because, obviously, it depends on our work schedules, but we're quietly hopeful that, at least one of us, will be able to come visit with Rachel for a weekend every month, and we'll do our very best to make sure you never go more than 6 weeks without seeing each other, and obviously, you're welcome to visit her here whenever you want."

"Thank you" Shelby couldn't believe it, she wasn't sure what she'd expected, but getting to see her daughter every month was far more often than she'd dared hope for. She was expecting Hiram and Leroy to say they'd visit once or twice a year and that it would be on her to come back to Ohio if she wanted to see her more often than that, she never imagined she'd get to see Rachel so often. "It's not much, but I have a pullout couch, if you wanted to save money on hotels you'd be welcome to stay with me."

"We'll probably take you up on that" Hiram smiled, "and I mean it, you're welcome here whenever you want. The key we gave you on Monday was the key we gave you when you were pregnant, Leroy and I want you to keep it. Our home is your home Shelby, and, although you're doing all sorts of amazing things in New York, you can walk through that door at any time, day or night, and make yourself at home."

Rachel nuzzled closer to Shelby as she woke, her hand slipping under Shelby's shirt to rest against her stomach. She frowned slightly when her Mommy didn't move and shifted again, pushing herself even closer to her Mommy. When that too got no response, Rachel forced her eyes to open, her Mommy was still cuddling her, but she always stroked her back or played with her hair as she woke and Rachel wanted to know why her Mommy wasn't doing that now.

"Aww" Rachel giggled quietly when she saw her Mommy and Daddy were napping too, Mommy was still holding Rachel closely, but she'd curled into Daddy and he was cuddling with her. Maybe later Rachel could get Papa to snuggle with them all too, that would be the best cuddle ever! Rachel's thoughts about cuddling were cut short when the TV caught her eye, Daddy said she could watch the mermaid film, she liked the fishy, and the silly bird, but the mermaid film wasn't on. It was okay though, Rachel knew what to do, she just needed Mommy to let go of her.

"Where are you off to?" Shelby mumbled sleepily, waking as she felt Rachel slip from her lap.

Rachel grinned, her Mommy was awake! "Need mer'ai' on Momma" she pointed to the TV.

"Okay" Shelby realised Rachel was going to get the TV remote, "bring them here" she said softly, not wanting to wake Hiram, "both of them, I'll put the Mermaid on for you."

"Otay" Rachel yawned loudly, "ta Momma."

She settled back down with her Mommy as the film started, sitting sideways across Shelby's lap, her head on Shelby's chest as she, once again, let her hand slip under Shelby's top, Rachel's tiny fingers absentmindedly stroking the soft skin of Shelby's stomach as she became engrossed in the film.

As Rachel settled, Shelby too allowed herself to relax, letting her head fall back onto Hiram's shoulder, his arm around her waist holding her close. She'd lost count of the number of times she'd cuddled up with the two men during her pregnancy, they'd always been tactile, on the day she first met them they'd hugged her at the end of their meeting and, in a way, Shelby liked it, liked that she could get the physical affection she craved sometimes, knowing nothing else would be expected of her.

"Momma" Rachel's little voice woke her from her thoughts, "rub me!"

Shelby chuckled a little at Rachel's request, but she knew what the girl was asking and began to gently stroke circles on her back, "is that better?" she asked, kissing Rachel's hair.

"Mhm" Rachel nodded as she snuggled closer, eyes fixed on the TV, "good Momma."

"I'm glad you think so" Shelby put Benny back on Rachel's lap before tucking the blanket around them both again, doing her best to cover Hiram too before she turned her attention back to Rachel, beginning to stroke her back again to keep her happy.

"Momma" Rachel tipped her head back to look up at Shelby, "you go?"

"I'm here for two more days" Shelby told her "then I have to go home."

"Oh" Rachel pouted, "I miss you."

"I'll miss you too Sweet Girl, but I promise it won't be long until we can see each other again."

"Soon?"

"Soon" Shelby nodded, "always soon."

Rachel nodded, satisfied that, even if her Mommy did have to go away, she'd still get to see her again, she'd get to snuggle and play with her soon, but, as she went back to watching the film, Shelby noticed that Rachel was snuggled closer than ever.

"Oh" Hiram frowned as he woke, "I didn't realise I was that tired, sorry."

Shelby chuckled, "don't worry about it, I fell asleep too."

"We all naptime" Rachel grinned, "Momma 'nuggle me and you 'nuggle Momma."

"That's right" Hiram smiled before asking Shelby, "are you okay?", not sure if she was comfortable with him holding her.

"I'm good" Shelby nodded, but if you want me to move..."

Hiram shook his head, "you only have to move if you want to."

"Dada" Rachel looked up at him, "Papa come 'nuggle too? After he comed home?"

"You want us all to snuggle together?" Rachel nodded enthusiastically, "if it's okay with Mommy then I'm sure we can."

Shelby nodded, she couldn't say no to something so simple, not when she knew how happy it would make her daughter, "after dinner we can all cuddle together before bedtime" she promised.

"Dada" Rachel looked up at Hiram, the father knowing just from the look in his daughter's face that she wanted something.

"Yes sunshine."

"We have snacks?" she asked hopefully.

Hiram laughed, "of course, what would you like?"

Rachel smiled sweetly, "cake? And Momma too?"

"Of course" he thanked Shelby when she moved to let him stand up, "I'll go get us all some cake" he paused before he left the room, "how's your head?" he asked Shelby, "do you need any painkillers?"

She shook her head, "it's not too bad, it only really hurts if I touch it, I'm okay thank you." Rachel knelt up on Shelby's lap as Hiram left the room, "are you okay Sweet Girl?" she asked as Rachel looked her right in the eye.

"Momma" Rachel said seriously, "you owie?"

Shelby smiled and dipped her head to rub her nose against Rachel's, "No Darling, it's not owie, not any more."

"Need kisses better?"

"Okay" Shelby wanted Rachel to feel like she was helping, "just here" she put her finger on her forehead beneath the cut.

Rachel reached up, pressing her lips to the spot her Mommy had told her to kiss, doing her best to make her Mommy's owie go away, "better?" she asked.

"Much better" Shelby hugged Rachel, "thank you."

"And cake make you better Momma" Rachel nodded as she settled back down beside Shelby, casually pulling Shelby's hand so her Mommy's arm was draped around her shoulder, "and Dada 'nuggles, we look after you Momma, an' we make you better. I p'omise."


	15. Chapter 15

No one was surprised that Rachel clung to Shelby on Sunday, wherever Shelby went, Rachel went too. Shelby was booked onto the last flight of the day from Columbus to JFK, so the family had an early dinner, Rachel insisting that she 'needed to' sit on Shelby's lap, before Shelby took Rachel upstairs to spend some quiet time with the girl before they left for the airport.

Rachel's tears started as she laid in bed beside her Momma, skin to skin against her chest as Shelby rubbed her back and promised over and over that they'd see each other again soon, that she'd call her to read bedtime stories, that no matter how many times she left, Shelby would always come back for Rachel.

The toddler was inconsolable as they got into the car, her sobs only getting louder and more violent as they reached the airport, Hiram taking Shelby's luggage so she could carry Rachel and, after Shelby checked in for her flight, Rachel still clinging tightly to her, it was time to say a final goodbye.

"Momma" Rachel sobbed, "I want you."

"You've got me" Shelby wiped at Rachel's tears, Hiram and Leroy noticing how hard Shelby was trying to hold back tears of her own, it was killing her to see Rachel so upset, "I'll be right here" she put her hand on Rachel's chest, "I'll always be right here. And whenever you need me, you can ask Daddy or Papa and they'll call me so we can talk together, and I promise, I promise you that I'll see you again soon."

"Soon?" Rachel whimpered.

Shelby nodded, "always soon." She'd already worked out dates for Rachel's next visit to New York, she knew she'd be seeing her daughter in less than a month, and Hiram had promised he'd mark the dates in Rachel's calendar as soon as they had some photos to stick in it. Shelby held Rachel until she absolutely had to go, "you need to go to Daddy and Papa now Sweet Girl."

"I come you" Rachel cried, "p'ease Momma."

"You need to stay here" Shelby said softly, "you've got Benny to give you lots of snuggles, and I've got Bonnie, but I need you to go home and look after your big bear too" she wiped at Rachel's tears, "I love you" she rubbed noses with her.

"To moon?"

"To the moon, and back" Shelby whispered, her voice cracking slightly as she struggled to hold back her tears.

"You need to say goodbye to Mommy Sunshine" Hiram said softly.

Rachel momentarily clung tighter to Shelby before she whispered, "lub you Momma."

"I love you too" Shelby kissed Rachel's hair before reluctantly letting Hiram take Rachel. She said goodbye to Hiram and Leroy, both men hugging her and kissing her cheek, reminding her that she could call them any time she wanted, before she turned and walked away, unable to hold back her tears any longer as she heard Rachel cry out for her.

As Shelby waited for her flight, Hiram and Leroy began the long drive home, Rachel was inconsolable in the back seat, she'd refused to let anyone sit in 'Momma's seat' so she just had Benny for company, or at least she thought she had. Hiram and Leroy had shared a sad smile when they realised that Shelby had left a sweater of hers in Rachel's car seat without them knowing, presumably to try and help settle Rachel on the drive home.

"Is Rachel asleep?" Leroy asked as he drove, wanting to talk to his husband without the girl overhearing, she'd gone quiet a while ago and he could only assume that she'd cried herself to sleep but he wanted to be sure.

Hiram twisted in his seat to look at their daughter, smiling sadly when he saw her tightly clutching Benny and Shelby's top to her chest, her cheeks still wet from her tears. "Yeah" he nodded as he settled back in his seat, "she is."

Leroy chanced a quick glance at his husband before fixing his eyes back on the road in front of him, "are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked.

"That depends" Hiram mused, "are you thinking that I should look into transferring to our partner office in New York?"

"No" Leroy shook his head, "I was thinking that we probably should finish the work on the basement so we can put the house on the market. But if you can transfer to another office…"

"Really?!" Hiram was surprised, he'd thought several times over the past week about bringing up the possibility of moving closer to Shelby but he wasn't sure how Leroy would react to the suggestion.

"I think if we don't do something Shelby will, and she's worked too hard to just give everything up and walk away from it all, we can do what we do in New York, she can't make it on Broadway if she's in Ohio. I'm not saying we should pack up when we get home to drive up to New York next week, as much as we might want to do that, but let's look into it and see what we can do." He paused for a moment, mulling over his thoughts before speaking again, "I know how much she means to you Hiram, I know you miss her just as much as Rachel does, and having her with us this past week, I guess it reminded me how much I've missed her being around too. I love you Hiram, I love Rachel, and yeah, I love Shelby too, moving will make all three of you happy, and there is nothing that would make me happier than seeing the three of you happy. I'm not saying it's going to happen immediately Hiram, but we'll figure something out and make this work, I promise."

Shelby took her phone from her bag to turn it back on as she waited to get off the plane. It beeped almost instantly and she frowned when she saw the message Leroy had sent her, '_There's nothing to worry about but can you call one of us when you get this? x_'

Shelby was quick to type out a reply, '_Just landed, waiting to get off the plane, do you need me to call now? xx_'

His reply came quickly, once again reassuring her that there was no need for her to worry about anything and reassuring her that they could wait until she was off the plane.

It was getting late, so the airport wasn't as busy as usual, and once she'd collected her luggage, Shelby managed to find a quiet corner to call Leroy, "Hey" she said softly, "is everything okay?" she could hear Hiram's voice in the background but couldn't quite make out what he was saying.

"Rachel fell asleep on the way home from the airport" he sighed quietly, "but she woke as we were bringing her in and she's been crying for you ever since, I wondered if you could just talk to her for five minutes and say goodnight, see if that calms her down a little, if that's okay with you?"

"Of course" Shelby's heart broke for her daughter, "put her on."

"You're a lifesaver Shelby, thank you so much" Leroy said before moving over to where Hiram was still trying to comfort Rachel. "Sunshine" he said softly, getting Rachel's attention before holding out the phone, "say hello."

"'lo" Rachel hiccuped.

"You should be sleeping Sweet Girl, it's way past your bedtime."

"Momma!" Rachel gasped, gripping tighter to the phone, her Mommy knew she needed her and she wanted to talk to her on the phone, "I need you."

"You need to go to sleep Darling, you'll get to see me again soon I promise." Rachel sniffed quietly so Shelby asked, "are you in bed?"

"Dadapapa bed" Rachel yawned loudly.

"Okay" Shelby smiled, "have you got Benny? And the shirt I left for you?"

"Yeah, I gots them but I needs you Momma!"

Shelby wanted to cry, but she managed to keep herself together as she told Rachel, "lay down and get comfortable, I'll sing to you until you fall asleep."

"Soon Momma?" Rachel whispered as she did as Shelby asked and laid down, clutching Shelby's shirt to her cheek.

"Soon Darling, always soon. Are you comfortable?" she got nothing but a yawn in response, "close your eyes Sweet Girl. I love you."

"Lub you Momma" Rachel mumbled, still clutching tightly to Leroy's phone as she screwed her eyes shut like her Mommy had asked her to.

Shelby heard the quiet shuffling of the covers as Rachel made herself comfortable and waited until the girl seemed settled before she began to sing softly, not caring that she was still stood in the airport, just wanting to do anything she could to comfort her baby. "_Look at what I'm given, this beautiful creation. This sweet intoxication, something pure in my life. Look at all these changes, you're the light that shines within me, and you'll be mine completely. There'll be no darkness left to view_"

Hiram and Leroy shared a smile as they saw Rachel begin to relax slightly, they couldn't hear what Shelby was saying to their daughter but it was obviously working. Shelby meanwhile could hear that Rachel's breathing seemed to be slowing, even if she wasn't falling asleep she was definitely beginning to calm down so Shelby continued singing to her, knowing she'd stay on the phone all night, singing to her baby if that was what Rachel needed. "_I never knew this form of love existed, yet deep inside of me is where it all began, so hold me in your heart. 'cause you'll have mine forever. The way you lay inside my arms, I'll protect you for always. Never feel alone, for I'll always be with you, home is where the heart is meant to be, and you'll always have a home inside of me_."

Rachel was beginning to feel sleepy, her Mommy might not be here with her, but Rachel had a shirt that smelled just like her, and her Mommy was on the phone singing to her, just like she did when they were cuddled together, and Mommy promised she'd see her again soon. She shifted slightly to get more comfortable, laying Papa's phone on the pillow next to her, making sure she could still hear her Mommy singing, but keeping her hand on the phone, not wanting Daddy or Papa to take it away just yet. Hiram and Leroy wouldn't do that though they were happy for Shelby to stay on the phone for as long as Rachek needed her, or at least as long as Shelby could. They shared a smile as they realised that Rachel's new position meant that they too could hear Shelby singing quietly to her baby. "A_nd we will walk this road together, I'll shelter you from burdens, just lean your weight on me. Storms may bridge the distance but you will always have a home here, right here inside my arms there's a love waiting just for you. I never knew this love form of love existed, a world away from love that I've ever known._"

"Momma" Rachel murmured quietly, the girl barely awake as she clutched Benny tightly and rubbed her cheek against the shirt Shelby had left behind, she hadn't said as much but Shelby planned on sending Rachel another shirt in a week or two to tide her over until their next visit. "_So hold me in your heart, 'cause you'll have mine forever. The way you lay inside my arms, I'll protect you for always. Never feel alone, for I'll always be with you. Home is where the heart is meant to be, you'll always have a home inside of me_."

Hiram and Leroy knew from the quiet little sigh that Rachel had finally given in and let sleep consume her, but they didn't stop Shelby, didn't want Rachel to wake up if Shelby stopped before she was completely asleep, "_No matter where the journey leads you, if your path leads to some place new you'll always have a home in this heart of mine. So hold me in your heart, 'cause you'll have mine forever. The way you lay inside my arms, I'll protect you for always. Never feel alone, for I'll always be with you, home is where the heart is meant to be, and you'll always have a home inside of me_."

There was silence for a moment when Shelby finished before Hiram spoke, "she's asleep" he said quietly, "thank you."

"It's okay" Shelby told him, trying to keep herself together, "I'm sorry she got so upset."

"She got upset because she loves you" he told her, "that's not something you ever need to apologise for. If Rachel was with you and she got upset because she missed Leroy or I, would you want us to apologise or feel guilty?"

"Of course not, you're her dads and…"

"And you're her Mommy, and when she needed you, you called her and worked your Mommy magic and got her to sleep, even from a few hundred miles away."

"Will you give her a kiss from me and tell her that I love her?" Shelby asked.

"Of course" Hiram nodded, "we always do, and let us know which days you're free for us to call you next week."

"I will" Shelby promised as she began walking towards the exit, "I'm working tomorrow at 5, I'll find out then when I'm free."

Shelby chuckled as she heard Leroy's quiet voice in the background, "tell her to let us know when she's home."

"You heard that right?"

"Yeah" Shelby smiled, "I did. I'll probably be about an hour or so, maybe a little longer depending on how long I need to wait for a train."

"Okay, well, have a safe journey and we'll speak to you soon. Thanks again Shelby."

Shelby said goodnight to both Hiram and a Leroy before ending the call, "we should have given her the money to get a cab home" Leroy frowned when Hiram told him how long it would take Shelby to get home.

"She wouldn't have taken it Leroy, you know what she's like."

"Stubborn" Leroy chuckled, "just like her daughter."

"Yeah" Hiram agreed, "she is."

"We'll make this work Hiram" Leroy promised as he wrapped his arms around his husband, "I don't know how yet but I promise we'll work something out, not just for Rachel and Shelby but for all of us."

* * *

Lyrics in italics from 'Home' by Scott Alan. If you're going to listen, I highly recommend any of the versions sung by Shoshana Bean!


	16. Chapter 16

India-guest, I've sent you a PM.

I seem to have hit a huge wall with all my fics except this one, so it's probably a good job that you're all enjoying reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it.

* * *

Nine days after she returned to New York, Shelby saw her downstairs neighbour beckoning to her from her front window when she came home from college. As she had done many times before, she let herself into the apartment, greeting the elderly woman fondly. Rose was technically Shelby's landlady, she owned the building they both lived in, but as she got older, her son, Tom, had taken over the practicalities of leasing the upstairs apartment. Rose's son was a friend of Shelby's boss at the coffee shop, and, when Shelby had mentioned where she was living, how much she was paying to live in, what she thought was once a cupboard in a house full of people he'd put her in touch with Tom. The apartment was further out of the city than Shelby initially wanted, but it had good transport links and it was a lot bigger than she'd get for the money anywhere else so she'd agreed, Mark vouching for Shelby, reassuring his friend that Shelby wouldn't disturb Rose.

The two women had become firm friends, Rose like a grandmother to Shelby, Shelby would check in to see if Rose needed anything if she was going grocery shopping and she'd frequently join her for coffee or even a glass of wine as they sat together on Rose's porch, watching the world go by.

"You had a package this morning" Rose said with a smile as Shelby walked in from the hall, "I asked the delivery man to put it on the kitchen table." Well into her 80s, Rose used a walker to help her get around, she always took in deliveries if Shelby wasn't home and often she was able to make it to her door with smaller items, but this box was too big for her to manage. Shelby thanked Rose and set about making tea for them both, deciding to sit and chat with her for a while before she took the package back to her apartment, she knew Rose got lonely on her own and Shelby had nothing planned for the rest of the evening so didn't mind keeping her neighbour company for a while.

She spent over an hour with Rose, telling her all about Rachel, showing her the pictures of her daughter that she'd taken on her phone and allowing Rose to reminisce about her children being young. She checked Rose had something planned for her dinner before saying goodbye, reminding her, as she always did, that if she needed anything she'd just have to yell and Shelby would hear her.

The return address on the box gave away that the parcel was from Hiram and Leroy, and, as she searched for a pair of scissors, Shelby found herself wondering what on earth it could be. "Oh" tears filled Shelby's eyes when she opened the box, the first thing she saw was a calendar, almost identical to the one she'd bought for Rachel, a handwritten note stuck to the front of it, bought '_Mommy, I love my calendar so much, Daddy and Papa help me cross of the day every night before I go to bed and I say goodnight to you, even when you can't ring me. I like it so much that I thought you might want one too. I put all my favourite pictures in it for you. I love you. Rachel xx_'.

Tears rolled freely down Shelby's cheeks as she flicked through the calendar, every month had a photo of herself and Rachel in it, but beside the photo, Rachel had drawn a picture too. There were a few pictures from their photoshoot in the calendar, but several candid photos taken by Hiram and Leroy too, including one from their very first meeting in the coffee shop, Rachel and Shelby both hugging each other tightly, a photo Shelby didn't even realise had been taken.

There was a large envelope under the calendar, which Shelby opened to find copies of all the photos that had been taken at their photo shoot, some colour, some black and white, but all showing just how much Rachel and Shelby adored each other. She put the photos down and began to sob when she realised what was in the bottom of the box. A note from Hiram telling her, '_I'm sorry we didn't get to show you these when you were here, but we still want you to see them. We made copies for you so don't worry about having to send them back xx_' He and Leroy had made copies of seemingly hundreds of Rachel's baby photos. Several of the photos had post it notes stuck to the back, telling the story behind the photo, others were just labeled with a date and location, and Shelby was overwhelmed by the effort they'd gone to for her, even more so when she realised that, underneath the photos were several DVDs, again all labeled, Rachel's first birthday, first Christmas, family vacations, trips to the park. Hiram and Leroy had even captured Rachel crawling and her first steps, and Shelby knew she'd treasure the contents of this box for the rest of her life.

She spent the rest of the evening sat cross legged on the couch, slowly looking through the pictures, her daughter turning from a tiny infant to the toddler Shelby knew and loved before her eyes. Hiram and Leroy had even slipped in some pictures of her and Rachel together, all with the date and the location on the back. She knew that they wanted her to be Rachel's Mom, they'd signed legal documents stating that Shelby had the same rights to the girl as they did, but it was things like this, trying to make her feel included, even in things she'd missed, that made her really believe that they meant it.

They four of them fell easily into a routine, Shelby calling Rachel at least twice a week to read her bedtime stories and wish her good night, Hiram or Leroy spending one weekend a month in New York with Rachel, doing their best to give Mother and Daughter as much time together as they could.

Shelby knew Hiram was close to tears when he rang her a few months into their arrangement, Leroy couldn't get the weekend off work to visit as they were already short staffed, and, although he'd planned to take Rachel to New York alone, Hiram had now found out that he too was going to have to work. He apologised over and over to Shelby, telling her that if there was any way he could get out of it, any way he could work remotely from New York he'd do it, but there was no way around it, he had to be in the office, and, with Leroy working long shifts, Rachel was going to have to join him.

Shelby was understandably disappointed that she wouldn't be seeing Rachel that weekend, but she tried not to let it show, she told Hiram she understood, that things like this happened sometimes, and that she'd see him, and Rachel, whenever she could, asking him to let her know if he'd have time for her to call and say goodnight to Rachel over the weekend, Hiram promising he'd make the time for the two of them to speak, he'd yet to break the news to Rachel but he knew she probably wouldn't take it as easily as Shelby had.

When she worked her next shift at the coffee shop, Shelby let her boss know that she'd be free to work at the weekend if he needed her to. She explained that both Rachel's fathers had to work and so they'd reschedule their visit in the future.

The man watched Shelby moping around for almost an hour before calling her over, asking her, "how much is a flight from here to Ohio?"

Shelby shrugged, "I don't know, Rachel's dads paid the last time I went back, a couple of hundred bucks maybe" she guessed, not sure why he was asking, "why?"

Mark opened the cash register, counting out some notes, "three hundred do it?" he asked, holding out the money, "or four?"

"What?" Shelby's jaw dropped, "Mark, I can't… "

"You can and you will. You either take it now or you get it with your wages next week, it's your call."

"Mark, I can't take three hundred bucks out of the till."

"You're not taking it, I'm giving it to you, it's my business, I get to decide what I do with the money" he pushed it into her hand, "and I want you to use it to get a flight back to Ohio to spend a weekend with that beautiful girl of yours. You said her dads were going to be busy, you fly over there and be the awesome Mommy that you are while they're busy doing what they need to do."

Shelby took the money, "why though? I mean, why are you giving me this?"

"Why not?" he shrugged, "if you really want a reason, call it a bonus."

"A bonus?" Shelby was even more confused, "what for?"

"Come on Shelby, you pick up all the shifts no one else will. 5am on a Saturday, you're here. Midnight on a Tuesday, you're here. You open, you close, you know better than I do what the stock levels are, and, when I had to go visit my Mom last month, who was here from lunch til close on Friday and from open to close all weekend. You even opened for me before you went to class on Monday morning Shelby. You do so much for me and you never expect anything in return, you haven't taken a day off sick since you started working for me, and I know one day you're going to get that dream role and I'm going to have to let you go, so, let me repay you for all your hard work while I can."

Shelby smiled, "are you sure?"

"Absolutely" he nodded, "you book yourself a flight to your daughter, and while you're at it…" he pulled his wallet from his back pocket and took out a fifty dollar bill, forcing it into Shelby's hands, "treat the kid to something nice from her Uncle Mark."

"Mark, I…"

"We've got a customer" he winked, pointing towards the counter, "they don't serve themselves."

She couldn't stop herself wrapping the man in a tight hug, "thank you" she beamed before going to serve the customer, "thank you so much."

Shelby was almost bursting with excitement, she'd decided not to tell anyone she was planning on spending the weekend in Lima, she wanted to surprise them all, she'd consoled Rachel after the girl had been told she'd have to wait a little longer to see her Mommy, and Shelby didn't want to get her hopes up, just in case her flight was canceled or anything else went wrong and she didn't actually get back.

Luckily there were no setbacks and Shelby actually arrived in Columbus ahead of schedule, she only had carry on luggage, so she was able to leave the airport quickly, less than 30 minutes later she was in a rental car and heading towards Lima.

The driveway was empty when Shelby arrived at the Berry household, she'd arrived before Hiram and Leroy had finished work, but, to Shelby, that just meant she'd have time to make dinner for everyone before they came home. She used the key she'd been given to let herself into the house, taking her bags upstairs to the guest room and using the bathroom before heading to the kitchen, she knew Hiram and Leroy had both been incredibly busy at work, so she wanted them to be able to relax when they got home.

It was a little after 5pm when Hiram pulled onto the driveway, he still had work to finish, but, for today at least, it was something he could finish at home, and, if Rachel was going to have to spend the weekend at the office with him, he didn't want to leave her in daycare any longer than necessary, he'd finish what he needed to do once she was asleep, he was even hoping Shelby would be free for a phone call with her baby before bed. He thought nothing of the car parked in the street outside his house as he helped Rachel from the car, but he frowned as he opened the front door and was greeted by the smell of something cooking in the house. His frown turned to a smile as he recognised the sneakers by the shoe rack and the jacket hanging on the rack, his heart swelling with love as he realised Shelby felt comfortable enough to just turn up, let herself in and make herself at home.

Hiram wished he had a camera, wished he'd been able to capture the look on Rachel's face when she realised who was in their house. She was chatting excitedly to Hiram about her day as they walked towards the kitchen, Hiram letting Rachel go first. She stopped mid sentence, her jaw dropping as she saw the figure stood at the stove and she looked back to Hiram, her eyes wide and a huge smile on her face, "Momma?" Hiram nodded as Shelby turned to face them both, Rachel sprinting the short distance across the kitchen to throw herself into her Mommy's waiting arms, "Momma!"

"Hello Sweet Girl" Shelby smiled as she held Rachel close, "are you okay?"

"I no no you come here when I no come you." Rachel whispered, clinging to Shelby.

"I thought I'd surprise you."

"You certainly did that" Hiram smiled as he leaned against the doorframe.

"Hi" Shelby smiled as he walked over and kissed her cheek, "it sounded like you might need a little help with childcare this weekend, so, here I am."

"Oh Shelby" Hiram kissed her other cheek, "you're a lifesaver, "how much was the flight? I can send you the money and…"

"No need" Shelby carried Rachel over to the table, "really" she said when Hiram went to protest, "I did some extra shifts last month when my boss went to see his Mom for the weekend because she was sick. When I told him I could work this weekend after all, he asked how much the flights would be and then gave me a three hundred dollar 'bonus' so I could come here instead."

"How did you get here from the airport?" Hiram asked, taking two mugs and a plastic cup from the cupboard on the wall, pouring a glass of juice for Rachel, the girl still in her Mommy's arms, before making tea for himself and Shelby

Shelby thanked Hiram when he placed the mug in front of her, "I got a rental car from the airport. And no, you don't need to pay for that either, I just got the cheapest one they had."

"We agreed that Leroy and I would be responsible for getting you and Rachel between here and New York Shelby, we meant that."

"I know" Shelby nodded, "but I can afford it, when I come here I just have to pay for myself to get here, you have to pay for you and Rachel to come to New York."

Hiram rolled his eyes, knowing that together, he and Leroy probably earned more in a week than Shelby did in a month, they didn't mind paying for her flights, but he understood that she was used to fending for herself, "okay" he didn't want to argue with her, "I'll let it drop, but you might not get so lucky with Leroy."

Unsurprisingly, Rachel was like Shelby's shadow that evening, she helped her finish making dinner, giving Hiram the chance to finish the work he needed to do, and she pushed her chair at the dinner table right up to Shelby's, wanting to be as close to her Mommy as she could be whilst she ate. Of course, Rachel insisted that Mommy was the one to get her ready for bed and, as Shelby took Rachel upstairs to bath her, Hiram promised he'd be up to say goodnight in a little while, before going back to his laptop, determined to finish his work so that he could spend the evening with Shelby and Leroy.

Leroy glanced at the clock on his dashboard as he pulled onto his street, he was late but he should still be able to read Rachel a story and say goodnight. He frowned slightly when he saw a car he didn't recognise parked outside his house, and became even more confused when he stepped into the house to be greeted by his husband, sat on the couch, packing away the papers he'd been working from, "Hi" Leroy frowned slightly, "not that it isn't great to see you but don't we have a little girl that should be getting ready for bed right about now?"

"She's in the bath" Hiram told him as he stood and walked across the room, "go up and say hi if you want."

"She's in the bath? And you're down here? Hiram she's…" he stopped when he felt his husband's index finger against his lips, "go let Rachel know you're home."

Leroy was still confused but he did as Hiram told him to, slipping off his shoes and making his way upstairs to the bathroom where he could hear Rachel chatting happily. The bathroom door had been left open and his frown turned to a smile when he saw Shelby knelt on the mat by the tub, watching Rachel as she played with her bath toys. "Hello you!" he grinned.

"Hi" Shelby smiled.

"Papa!" Rachel beamed, "Momma come see me!"

"I can see she has, I bet that was a lovely surprise."

"It was" Rachel grinned, "I no no she come and then she here!"

"None of us knew she was coming, Mommy surprised us all, but it's nice to see her isn't it?" Rachel nodded and went back to playing with her boats, allowing Leroy to turn his attention to Shelby, "you don't have to worry" he told her, "we meant it when we said that you're welcome here any time you want/ Have you eaten?" he asked, not knowing how long Shelby had been here.

Shelby nodded, "yeah, I got here before Rachel and Hiram got home so I made dinner for everyone, yours is in the oven" she smiled.

"Thank you" Leroy smiled, "I'm going to shower and get changed, just yell if you need anything."

"Okay" Shelby nodded as Leroy went to shower in his ensuite, "I will."

"Have you sent her the money for the flights?" Leroy asked Hiram as he made himself comfortable, he'd heard Shelby reading to Rachel as he'd made his way back downstairs and he guessed she wouldn't be down for a little while longer.

Hiram shook his head as he handed Leroy the plate he'd warmed up for him, "she wouldn't tell me how much they were, said she didn't need the money because her boss gave her a 'bonus' for working overtime, she got a rental car from the airport too."

"Okay" Leroy placed his plate on the coffee table after thanking his husband and reached for Hiram's laptop instead.

"What are you doing?" Hiram asked with a frown.

"She's being stubborn and won't tell us the cost of her flights? I'll just have to guess. She had what, a weeks notice? I'm going to price up flights for next week, and I'll price up a rental car with a weeks notice and send her that, it won't be far off, and if I happen to send her a bit extra just in case, well then that's her fault for not telling us how much we needed to give her isn't it?" Leroy smirked.

Hiram couldn't help but laugh, he knew that Leroy wouldn't let it drop, that he'd insist on paying Shelby for the flights whether she wanted the money or not, and he knew Leroy wouldn't tell Shelby about it, knowing she was unlikely to use an ATM whilst she was here, she wouldn't notice the extra money until she was back in New York.

"Did she go down okay?" Hiram asked as Shelby came downstairs a little while later, she hadn't been as long as they'd expected her to be.

Shelby nodded, "she's in the guest bed, she had two stories and fell asleep halfway through the third."

"She's in your bed" Leroy corrected her, "but I'm glad she went down okay. Thank you for coming to visit her, she was distraught when we told her we both had to work, she said she'd go to your house on her own."

"Oh bless her" Shelby tucked her feet up under her body, "well I'm here now, Rachel's asleep and I'm not leaving until Sunday evening so the two of you don't have to worry about keeping her entertained all weekend."

"You're amazing Shel" Hiram smiled, "honestly, I don't know how we managed without you."


	17. Chapter 17

I'm sorry for the delay, I lost my writing mojo for a while, but I think it's back now, Ibhave the next chapter of this almost done already so hopefully it won't be too long before I update again.

* * *

Rachel stirred slightly when Shelby got into bed, but she quickly settled once she was in her Momma's arms, her arm curling around Shelby's neck face nuzzling into the crook of Shelby's neck. "Oh my Darling" Shelby whispered as she held her closely, "how did I make something as perfect as you."

"Two months of fertility drugs and a single round of IUI if I remember rightly." Shelby looked up to see Hiram stood in the open doorway, "sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Shelby shook her head and gestured for Hiram to come into the room, "you didn't scare me, it's okay."

Hiram sat on the edge of the bed, "Leroy and I are going to bed too, and we're going to be leaving pretty early in the morning, maybe before the two of you are up. I know you'll have everything under control, but you can call me if you need anything and one of us will grab takeout on the way home so don't worry about cooking. Just enjoy your day with your baby."

"Okay" Shelby smiled, "I'm sure we'll be just fine. "

"I'm sure you will too" Hiram stood from the bed, "Are the keys for your rental car in the bowl?" he asked, straightening the covers and tucking them around Shelby and Rachel, Shelby nodded and Hiram told her, "I'll put Rachel's car seat in the back for you before I leave for work." Shelby thanked Hiram but he waved it off, telling her it wasn't a problem. "Goodnight" he kissed Shelby's temple, "sweet dreams" he kissed Rachel too, "see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight" Shelby yawned as Hiram left the room, "see you tomorrow."

It didn't take long for Shelby to fall asleep and, as Hiram predicted, both she and Rachel slept through the two men getting ready and leaving for work, Shelby only waking when she felt Rachel stir in her arms, "hello Sweet Girl" she smiled, dropping a kiss to Rachel's hair, "did you have a good sleep?"

"Mhm" Rachel yawned and stretched before curling back into Shelby, "like snuggle you Momma."

"I like snuggling you too Darling."

Rachel tipped her head to look up at Shelby, "you stay here lots?"

"Not this time" Shelby shook her head, "just today and tomorrow, I have to go home after dinner tomorrow, but the next time I come to see you will be for a long time."

"Aww" Rachel pouted, "I want you stay." Rachel had got much better at saying goodbye to her Mommy as she got used to their routine and started to realise that their goodbyes were only ever temporary. She still got upset, still cried, but she no longer sobbed for hours after saying goodbye, there were just a few tears that were usually resolved by the time they got on the plane home, or, when Hiram or Leroy showed her the calendar hung by her bed, letting her see that there'd be a next time, she'd see her Mommy again.

"I know you do" Shelby brushed Rachel's hair back from her face, "but this was just a special surprise visit. I promise you the next time I come here it will be for a long time."

"Okay" Rachel sighed, "what we do?"

"I don't know, what do you want to do today?"

Rachel thought for a moment or two before holding up her index finger "b'eakfast" she raised her middle finger, "wowa" she added her ring finger too, "p'ay"

"Breakfast, shower, play" Shelby rubbed noses with Rachel, "that sounds good to me!"

And that was what they did, once they were dressed they began an elaborate game of 'explorers'. The floor of the living room became lava and there was a trail of cushions and pillows across the room, leading from the door to the 'den' they'd made, multiple items of furniture pushed together in the corner of the room, walls and roof made of blankets, duvets and pillows inside to make it comfortable.

They spent a while bouncing around the room, jumping between the cushions and 'rescuing' each other when they fell into the lava, or stepped onto the carpet. Rachel loved playing with her Mommy, she was so much fun and she always joined in with the games Rachel wanted to play.

Keeping in with the game, Shelby packed sandwiches, crackers, fruit and cookies into Rachel's backpack for lunch, "I need a super strong explorer to carry our lunch to our den" she said as she helped Rachel slip her arms into her backpack, "I'll get our water bottles".

"I can do it Momma" Rachel nodded, standing as straight as she could, "I do it good."

Rachel hopped across the cushions back to their den, crawling inside, grinning happily as she waited for Shelby to join her. "Let's take this off" she said as she helped Rachel out of your backpack, "you did a great job getting it here."

"I love this!" Rachel bounced excitedly as Shelby took two plastic plates from the bag before adding sandwiches and crackers for them both, leaving the cookies and fruit for later.

Hiram managed to get his work finished quicker than he thought he would and it was a little after 2pm when he let himself into the house. The first thing he noticed was the silence, Shelby's rental car was still outside but the house was silent. The second thing he noticed was the living room, the room looking like a tornado had just passed through, there were pillows and cushions scattered all over the floor and every piece of furniture had been moved, what on earth had Shelby and Rachel been doing whilst he'd been at work? His frown turned into a smile as he made his way further into the room, finding, not only the den that Shelby and Rachel had built, but the two of them fast asleep, Shelby on her back, Rachel laid against her chest as they both napped under a blanket in their den. He took out his phone unable to resist taking a picture of them both before heading upstairs to change.

When Shelby woke, she managed to slip out from underneath her daughter, settling Rachel amongst the cushions, kissing her hair and tucking the blanket around her. She stretched her back as she stood up before frowning slightly as she realised the room had been tidied up. She made her way through to the kitchen, jumping slightly when she saw Hiram sat at the table, papers spread around his laptop as he worked on something.

"Hey" she said with a yawn.

"Hi" Hiram smiled, "good nap?"

"Yeah" Shelby chuckled, "I'm sorry about the mess, I was going to tidy it before you got home but obviously…"

Hiram shook his head, stopping Shelby mid sentence, "obviously you and Rachel were having fun, things can be picked up and tidied, Rachel won't remember the mess but she will remember whatever game you were playing, she won't remember the house being untidy but she'll remember napping in a blanket fort with you." Hiram was sure that he'd never regret anything more than letting Leroy's Mother talk them into getting Shelby to sign that contract. Shelby was an amazing Mommy and he knew that Rachel's life was better for having her in it.

"We were explorers" Shelby explained, "the carpet was lava and the cushions were islands to help us get to our den."

"I'll say one thing for that girl" Hiram laughed, "she's certainly got a vivid imagination.

"She has" Shelby nodded when Hiram stood, asking her if she wanted a coffee.

Hiram flicked on the coffee machine, turning back to Shelby as he waited for it to warm up, "did the two of you do anything else or just have your adventure?"

"Just the adventure. I asked Rachel what she wanted to do this morning and she said she wanted breakfast, a shower and then to play, so that's what we did."

"I'm sure she's loved that. Although she loves anything she gets to do with you."

"She's such a happy little thing, I always knew you and Leroy would be amazing parent, but it's good to see that I wasn't wrong, that you love her as much as I hoped you would."

After reassuring Shelby that she wasn't disturbing him, Hiram and Shelby stayed in the kitchen, chatting about everything and nothing until Rachel woke, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she made her way straight to Shelby, the mother not hesitating to lift Rachel into her arms and kiss her hair, "Hello sleepyhead."

Rachel smiled up at her Mommy before snuggling into her, "Dada back" she yawned.

"I am" Hiram smiled, "have you had a good day with Mommy?"

"Yeah" Rachel grinned, "we have picnic, in our den."

"Oh wow, that does sound like fun!"

"It was" Rachel nodded, pulling Shelby's arm around her waist, "I got best Momma!"

"You certainly have Sunshine" Hiram agreed with her, "you're a very lucky girl."

Surprisingly to Hiram, Rachel drifted back to sleep in her Mommy's arms. She'd decided a few months ago that she didn't need to nap any more and despite Hiram and Leroy knowing she did, they still struggled to get her to sleep some afternoons, but Shelby didn't seem to have a problem at all, Rachel happy to nap with her Mommy and he briefly wondered if all the problems he and his husband had faced raising their daughter could have been solved by a mother's touch.

Shelby continued to sit with Hiram, keeping him company as he worked, Hiram asking about Shelby's life, what she'd been up to, any auditions she'd been to, and it was then that Shelby told him about a showcase she'd be taking part in, "can anyone come to see this showcase?" Hiram asked, "and is it child friendly?"

"You'd come?" Shelby seemed surprised.

"Of course we would" Hiram nodded, "we want to support you no matter what it is you're doing."

"I can get you tickets" Shelby nodded, "and it's nothing x rated but Rachel might get bored."

"We'll see how she goes, one of us can always take her outside if we need to."

Shelby smiled as she explained to Hiram how there were going to be representatives from several casting agencies attending the showcase and that had her a little nervous. She was almost sure that she'd be moving back to Ohio after she graduated, but at the same time, she wanted to prove to herself that she had the talent to make it, even if just for herself she wanted to prove her parents wrong. Hiram and Leroy hadn't mentioned their plans to move to New York, they wanted to finish some renovations they'd started in the house before they sold it and they didn't want to get anyone's hopes up until they had a firm date for their move, so they'd decided that, for now, all they were going to do was encourage Shelby to keep auditioning in the hopes she'd stay in New York until they could join her.

When Rachel woke for a second time, Shelby made her a snack, sitting at the table with her as she ate before leaving Hiram to work, telling Rachel they needed to pack up their blanket fort for today. Shelby moved the rest of the furniture back into place and Rachel helped her carry the blankets and pillows back upstairs where they stayed to play.

It took Hiram almost an hour to finish what he needed to do, and he found Shelby and Rachel laid on Rachel's bedroom floor, her building blocks scattered around them as they played together, Shelby purposely getting things wrong so Rachel could correct her. He stood in the doorway watching them for a while, sure that he would never get sick of seeing Shelby with Rachel, would never tire of seeing Rachel reach out for a spontaneous hug from her Mommy. He loved seeing the two of them together and he knew he'd do anything in his power to make sure their move was a success, that Shelby got more moments like this in the future.


End file.
